Birds of Prey - A GW adaptation of Jurassic Park (1993)
by ExecutiveShrimp
Summary: GWCU, 2x1/1x2: Only twenty feet, but over 200 million years between them and for a while neither party knew what to do. The creature took a step towards them, almost apprehensively. Duo and Heero reactively jumped back and Duo tripped over his own feet and fell backwards. Then it all boiled down to two things: Predator. And prey.
1. Chapter 1

**Jurassic Park is my all time favorite movie. I've seen it more than any other movie and it still both thrills and frightens me. **

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**Birds of Prey – A GW adaptation of Jurassic Park (1993)**

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_Demon. _

_Strength of the Devil._

_Our punishment._

_Black, leathery __scales__._

_The Lord has unleashed His wrath._

_Yellow eyes. Like a __snake__?_

_Rotten breath. _

_Teeth__. Too __many teeth__._

Duo's own notes still made him shiver. He remembered the translator whispering snippets of the woman's frightened rambling in his ear. When he closed his eyes, he still saw the petite woman writhing in her hospital bed. Trapped in a condition of absolute agony, even as the staff kept her medicated on the very edge of consciousness. He had underlined words to get a sense of the physicality of whatever she claimed had attacked her. At his request, the translator had tried to get her to be more descriptive, but then all she did was wail:

"Pain! Pain!"

The daughter had ushered the two men out of the room then and told them not to come back. Her black eyes, too, conveyed a hurt beyond words. Through the narrow window of the door, Duo stole a glance at the daughter blanketing her distressed mother with her own body; holding her down while trying to comfort her.

A story on an apparent abduction of a woman from his home city of San Diego, had led him to Puerto Carillo, a small town on the Western shore of Costa Rica, where she was born and raised. Speaking to the locals about the woman's past had unearthed a history of drug abuse and debt to the cartels and he knew he would be writing a sad ending. It was also how he heard of the _gringos_ that kept coming into town – people wondered if he was one of 'them', suspicious of all the questions he was asking. He smelled a new story.

When he interrupted a group of young boys playing soccer in the hot sand of the beach, to ask them about the '_gringos_' and why they had come to their small town, one of them said: "The gringos have come to hunt the _chupacabra_".

The 'gringos', he learned, were – by the looks of them – a group of mercenaries, who had come into town by boat, as if out of nowhere.

The chupacabra in question was a creature that had been responsible for several casualties in multiple towns dotting the coast, going South as far as Playa Santa Teresa. All small towns trapped between the ocean and a vast expanse of jungle. He would have dismissed it as another myth if not for the verified death certificates and the most recent attack on an elderly woman who had survived. His meeting with her at the hospital was chilling.

He had wanted to stay and get to the bottom of the mystery but his editor at the Union-Tribune reached him at his hotel and ordered him to fly home and type-up his missing person's story before the Sunday paper went to press.

Most of the story he wrote on the plane ride home and he handed it in before the deadline.

He couldn't release the survivor from his thoughts, she was trapped in his mind. That was how his drive for story-telling always worked: a person's story would get locked in his brain and he would not find peace until he could set it free with words on paper.

On Monday he pitched the idea to his editor in an attempt to get him to sign off on another investigation that would take him South. The man had laughed at first, then became angry when Duo insisted.

"I'm not footing the bill for another plane ticket and hotel stay for you to chase the Goddamn Chupacabra of all things! If you wanted to tell jokes, you should have become a cartoonist, not a journalist."

This was the kind of investigation that could drag on for weeks. The costs of traveling, hotels, and 'incentives' for the locals to be forthcoming was not something the Union-Tribune had a budget for and neither did Duo. But that didn't stop him.

He had eleven vacation days saved up and he took them, hoping that by the end of his vacation he had enough to convince his boss to at least not fire him. He did as much digging as he could and knew the phone bill at the end of the month would cause him trouble, but after seven days he was adamant that he had to pursue this. This was the story he needed to get his career back on track.

He used what little money he had in his account for a one-way trip to New York City. If he made the plea in person, he was certain he could succeed. He knew someone equally as committed to telling the truth as he was and he was banking on the notion that this person still trusted his instincts.

After a red-eye with a delayed lay-over and no sleep for twenty-seven hours, he arrived at the offices of the New York Times, right at the start of the workday. He waited by the entry with a cup of coffee that he got from the vendor around the corner, taking a single sip as a taste test.

Precisely on schedule, Heero Yuy arrived, coming from the direction of the nearest subway station. He wore jeans, a white shirt, an open button-up and a pair of sunglasses. He was already sipping on a to-go cup of coffee.

Duo didn't call out his name, waved, or even moved to draw his attention, but without missing a step Heero made a beeline for him.

"What are you doing here?"

Before saying anything, Duo held the coffee he had bought.

Heero showed him the cup he was already holding.

"If I know you as well as I think I do, you took the very last sip of that coffee right before you spotted me – right before you were supposed to step inside. And the first thing you were planning on doing, was get coffee from the machine in the lounge, on your way to your desk. This coffee, however, is much better than that sewage from the lounge."

Heero paused. His eyes were invisible behind his black shades. With a tight mouth he accepted the coffee that was offered and handed Duo his empty cup.

Duo smiled. The unchanging nature of certain things was a comfort. Not one to beat around the bush, he said: "I have a story, but I need your help."

"Hn. You need my money, you mean."

"I mean: I need your boyfriend's money."

Heero pursed his lips. The coffee was good but that remark had clearly given him a bad taste in his mouth. Fortunately, he couldn't be easily deterred when there was a possibility of a good story. "What's the story?"

"I talked to this old lady in Costa Rica who said she had been attacked by some kind of creature-…" He pushed off the wall he was leaning against when Heero walked away. He caught his arm to stop him. "Please hear me out."

Heero checked his watch and tilted his coffee left to right to get a sense of how much of the brew was left. "You have two minutes."

"There was a team of hired guns in town as well. Since I've been back, I've done a little digging. Trying to find out what's significant about Puerto Carillo. I found a newspaper article from three years ago about an island over 100 miles off the coast from that town, bought by InGen; Isla Nublar."

Heero steadily sipped his coffee.

"Why would InGen buy an island from a government known to have put a price tag on moral integrity? So I made some calls to my contacts in Puerto Carillo. Workers from that town, as well as Sámara, Nosara and many more places, have been building on that island under an impenetrable cloak of secrecy. And InGen's genetic research facility in my own damn city has upped and left. Every single employee that had been working there, now has the same address listed as their place of residence: Playa Santa Teresa. A hop and a skip South from Puerto Carillo. I called the number for that address, pretending to be a cousin of one of the researchers and I was told I could leave a message. Why? Because the scientists 'only come to shore during the weekend'. They must be working on the island. There is no reason to move operations away from San Diego to some damn island where there is no government supervision, unless they are working something that violates USA laws and regulations."

The other man demonstratively finished his coffee and, again, shoved the empty cup into Duo's hand. "I'll admit, _that's_ interesting. But how does the damn chupacabra that you opened with figure into all of this?" He challenged, familiar enough with the folklore to give it a name.

"I have witnesses that stated those hired guns were there to hunt the creature."

"And if I know you as well as I think I do," Heero said, mimicking Duo's sentiment from before. "Those witnesses aren't the most reliable."

"They're kids," he admitted and even though he could not see Heero's eyes, it was evident in the way he moved his head that Duo had just been on the receiving end of an incredulous eye-roll. "But want to know what else I found? Those hired guns? Guess who hired them."

Heero's eyebrows disappeared behind the frame of his sunglasses. "Do you have proof of that?"

He chewed on the inside of his cheek. Lying wasn't going to help him. "…No. But-"

"Duo! Come on."

"They were American mercenaries who arrived in Puerto Carillo by _speedboat_. Where the fuck do you think they came from? They came from Isla Nublar."

Heero shook his head. "What is your hypothesis? That InGen is recreating movie monsters?"

"Frankly, I don't think there's a monster. Right now my hypothesis is that those deaths that have been occurring, are those mercenaries cleaning up loose ends. Maybe they were workers running their mouth, who needed to be silenced."

"Didn't you say you talked to some little old lady? Not a worker."

"She could have been someone grandma who knew too much."

"Well, if they wanted her dead because she knew too much, why was she alive to tell you anything at all?"

Duo threw his gaze up to the sky. Heero wouldn't have been recruited by the New York Times if he didn't know to keep asking questions like that. Valid as they were, however, they did not dissuade Duo. "I have a gut feeling about this, Heero." His voice quieted. He reached out and Heero stiffened but the man let him lift his sunglasses off his nose so Duo could look into his blue eyes. "Have you ever known me to be wrong?"

"Not where a story is concerned," he admitted begrudgingly.

"Please trust me on this…"

"Well…" He sighed and made a helpless gesture. "What do you propose? That I just drop what I'm working on? I'm guessing you already pitched this to your boss and he said no. What makes you think mine will let me chase after this?"

"Because you're Heero – fucking – Yuy. And because you can fund this on your own dime."

"My boyfriend's dime, you mean," he bit.

"Heero… when we were together, you set out to be youngest Pullitzer prize winner ever. You didn't do that -"

The other narrowed his eyes.

"But you can still be the youngest journalist ever to have two Pullitzer prizes." Duo watched his remark land. He watched Heero put his hands on his hips and pensively look off to the side as if the morning traffic suddenly sparked his interest.

Heero glared at him. "That was below the belt."

"It worked though."

"...Yes. It did."


	2. Chapter 2

"I told you, Mister, we don't want to talk to you again," said the woman through the screen door.

Duo struggled to be respectful and patient while his entire body jittered with anxiety. "Please, Miss… We only have a few more questions for your mother."

"Do you honestly want her to relive all that?"

He took the smallest step closer to the door. "No. I don't. But I also don't want anyone to experience the kind of attack that your mother was fortunate to survive. That is why we have come. To get to the bottom of this, so it won't happen again."

"You're not do-gooders, you're reporters."

Duo threw a look over his shoulder at his partner. Heero wasn't being of any help, already well on his way to regretting his decision to fly down to Costa Rica with him in pursuit of this insane story. He put on a stern face. "Miss, I'm sorry to say this, but: the 'do-gooders' don't come until after the reporters. Because without us, they don't know where their help is needed."

Her mouth tightened but the fact that she let silence exist between the two of them for the first time since the journalists had knocked on her door, meant she was finally considering letting them in. She took a deep breath and then swung the screen door open outward.

Duo stepped back so the door could open fully.

"I don't think she'll talk to you," she said.

Duo nodded but his philosophy had always been that if he could get through the door, he could get to the truth. Under the watchful gaze of the young woman, they stepped into the house.

It was a wooden cabin, at the end of a dirt road that led away from Puerto Carillo. It was raised on stilts. The ground surrounding it was muddy from flood water. The stench of rotting wood hung around. Inside it was just as hot and humid as outside, but with fewer mosquitos buzzing around their heads, tempted by their blood, but repelled by the strong smell of lemon eucalyptus oil – in constant battle with themselves. The interior was dimly lit. It was morning, but the shadow that the surrounding trees cast was dark. The air inside was stale and the scent of food so thick that Duo could taste it in his mouth.

The young woman gestured for them to follow the narrow hallway to a tiny living room in the back.

Seated by the only window, staring at drawn curtains, was the small, elderly lady that Duo had met in the hospital two weeks ago. She was just as pale as she was then. She wore a long-sleeved, floral dress, with bandages peeking out from underneath. There was a plate of food on the table right by her side. It was within her reach, but she clearly hadn't touched it.

Heero spoke Spanish so it was his turn to take the lead. However, when the woman didn't even acknowledge their presence after the man had introduced them, Duo touched a hand to Heero's shoulder and whispered to him: "Let the daughter translate." It would be a way for them to show that the daughter was on their side and Duo was confident the woman would be more receptive to the questions they meant to ask when she heard them from her own daughter's mouth. Subconsciously, the young woman would phrase the words in the way she knew would get through to her mother.

Heero made up a bullshit lie that an introduction was the only Spanish he knew and the daughter agreed to be their translator. The strategy, however, didn't work. They asked a few questions and the daughter dutifully translated with a soft, careful tone. Even kneeling by her mother and touching her frail hand. The woman didn't respond until suddenly she burst out angrily and threw a dark look up at the two men. The daughter reeled back and told them:

"She says there is nothing to talk about. She is sick of you asking questions about something that didn't happen."

"Didn't happen?" Duo raised his eyebrows and he pointed at the bandages he could see on her wrist and he knew from seeing her in the hospital earlier that both her arms were entirely wrapped. "How did she end up wounded, then?"

The daughter sighed, knowing it was futile, but she translated for them anyway. The answer was short.

"She said she fell," the daughter told them.

Duo looked at Heero again, desperate and in a mild panic.

Heero was calm, probably because he hadn't been all that invested in the story yet to begin with. And he wasn't about to be fired on the spot when they returned to the States. Heero asked the woman a question directly, his Spanish impeccable, blowing his cover. Duo could hardly keep up, he only knew it was something about the hospital.

The woman glared at him for the betrayal and she gave another short response.

Heero asked her another question and Duo only recognized the word for 'house'.

Both mother and daughter looked perplexed and Duo became hopeful until the elderly lady narrowed her eyes at the Japanese man and started yelling again, at which point the daughter urgently ushered them out of the house.

The screen door slammed shut behind them.

"What the fuck did you say?"

Heero sighed and started down the steps. In the mud his footfalls made wet sounds as he trudged back to their rented Jeep. Duo followed. "I first asked her who paid for her hospitals bills."

"Obviously InGen did. To get her to shut up."

"Then I asked her if they had also offered to buy her a new house and, if not, that we could."

"Oh."

"I thought it would work. Apparently not." He climbed behind the wheel.

"Who knows what kind of promises InGen made her to keep her quiet." He jumped into the passenger seat and knocked his boots together to get some of the mud off before pulling his feet up into the car and shutting the door. "Dammit." The attack on her had been the last, they discovered shortly after arriving at Puerto Carillo. No attacks had occurred since then and the 'gringos' had left town without a trace. The woman had been a valuable lead and her story would have been compelling to base the article around, but without her cooperation they needed to rethink their approach.

As if reading his mind, Heero supplied: "We have bigger problems than the wasted potential of a witness."

"What's that?"

The car bounced along the road as they drove back to town.

"You supposed that InGen was responsible for these mysterious deaths to protect their secret. According to your story, she should be dead. Instead, they paid her off."

"It still proves they have something to hide. Something dark."

"Yeah, but Duo… mercenaries killing witnesses to protect corporate secrets is a Pullitzer story. Businesses bribing people to sign an NDA is the kind of thing you can read in any local newspaper."

Duo scoffed. "I misjudged you. I knew you were ambitious enough to care about awards, but I didn't know it is the only thing you care about."

Heero took one hand off the wheel to punch his shoulder and not in a playful way; it was painful. "Fuck you. I'm not just in this for the awards. What I'm saying is: if this is the kind of story it is devolving into, we can have a bigger impact elsewhere."

"There are still the seven mysterious deaths Heero. Bodies buried without an autopsy. A small army of geneticists and lab personnel based in Playa Santa Teresa. And an eccentric Scottish capitalist who has no business purchasing an island from a questionable government. If that seems more like the foundation of an article for The Aberdeen Times than The New York Times, I was wrong for admiring your journalism all these years."

There was a long, tense silence between them, which was maintained until they reached the small hotel where they had decided to base their investigation out of. Heero parked the car in front, but neither got out of the vehicle.

Finally, the Japanese man asked with easily detectable tones of resignation: "So how do we proceed?"

Duo's relief lasted only a second, then he ransacked his brain for a new plan. "We should go down to Santa Teresa and get chummy with those scientists…"

"We'd be blown out of the water before we'd find someone willing to talk to us – if we'd even find anyone at all. These people moved thousands of miles away from their homes, their friends, their families… Either they did so willingly, meaning they are devoted to their cause. Or InGen forced them, meaning the company has a power over them that we can't possibly overrule."

"You're right. There's only one thing we can do." Duo unbuckled his seatbelt and twisted in the car seat to face Heero. He waited until the other man looked at him. "We need to get onto that island."


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't difficult to find a fisherman willing to take them out to the island. It was a simple matter of negotiating a price and Duo left that all up to Heero. Not because he spoke Spanish - the fisherman actually knew quite a bit of English - but because it was his own dime.

They met the man at his boat at the docks at sunrise, when the other fishing boats were also heading out to sea for their catch of the day. The fisherman had agreed to drop them off on the Eastern shore of the island and he'd spend the following days out at sea, remaining close enough to the island to be able to come pick them up quickly if need be. With a radio they could call him in. The man knew InGen had the Coast Guard regularly patrol the island, but they didn't bother the local fishermen.

He offered them a hand to help them climb aboard. Even in the harbor, the waves were choppy. The boat rocked and the steel hull banged against the wooden dock with a sickening sound.

"We have storm coming in," said the fisherman, Hector. He motioned up to the sky, which was a perfect gradient of pink and orange, not a single cloud in sight, yet Duo did not doubt his weather forecast.

"Oh? Bad?"

"Do not know. Will probably drift South like the last two. But if storm comes, I must come in." He gestured around himself, indicating he would have to return to the harbor.

Duo looked to his partner. "What do think? Should be wait it out?"

Heero shook his head. "No, let's get this over with." He held up the walkie-talkie, of which the fisherman had its twin. "The signal is strong enough to reach you here too, right?"

"Yes, signal no problem. Even from here I can be to island in five hours. Come to wherever you need." With his hand he made a big circle in the air, meaning he could come to any location on the shore of Isla Nublar.

"Okay. Let's do this," Heero decided and he pocketed the radio.

Duo nodded, he was hoping Heero would agree to go through with it. He was too excited to back down now. He wouldn't have the patience to wait any longer.

The engine of the boat sputtered to life and they started their straight trajectory towards the island. Out at sea, the wind had Duo's long braid of hair whipping against his back and tugged at his loose jacket. He also wore a cotton shirt, khaki cargo pants and sturdy hiking boots that had accompanied him to Tanzania, the Congo and Tijuana before, exposing personal stories of slavery, war crimes and drug trafficking. Heero was similarly dressed. They both had experience with unforgiving climates and conditions. They each also carried a backpack with some water, food and survival gear. They couldn't possible carry enough water for the entire trip, so they would still have to find a source of water on the island. Importantly, they each also had a camera with them.

Just as Hector had said, it took them five hours to reach the Eastern shore of the island, which consisted mostly of cliffs. From a distance they traveled along the coast, scanning the coastline with binoculars to find a good place to land.

Hector slowed down the boat when Duo pointed out a small strip of white beach, where the cliffs on either side softened into hills.

A rumbling sound had the three men looking up at the blue sky. A few miles South of their position they spotted a large helicopter crossing over the ocean, heading straight for Isla Nublar, where it disappeared over the mountains. Even if they had been seen by the pilot and the occupants, they were still nothing but unassuming fishermen. The helicopter didn't circle back to check up on then, instead the noise died out until only the sound of waves lapping at the hull remained. However, in case the helicopter had called in a favor from the Coast Guard to come investigate, they knew they had to be quick.

Hector took the fishing boat a little closer before dropping anchor. He cast a net to keep up pretenses before the three of them climbed into the small steel dinghy they had towed out with them. It had a decent motor mounted on the back of it and Hector swiftly brought them closer to shore.

Only a few yards off the beach, Duo and Heero jumped into the waist-deep water but a crashing wave had them struggle to keep their heads above the surface. Thankfully everything in their backpacks had been packaged to be waterproof.

They walked onto the beach and looked back to see Hector make his way back to his fishing boat. The man looked over his shoulder and waved at them.

Once hidden in the tree line, they took a moment to shake excess water out of their packs. Duo took off his jacket, wrung it out and folded it under an elastic loop at the side of the backpack, so it could air dry like the rest of his clothes.

Heero took off the long-sleeved button-up he had been wearing on top of his navy blue shirt and he tied it around his waist.

They had a map of the island with them, but with it being a private island, nothing had been marked. No roads, no buildings or any other landmark. All they had was the shape of the island and the two rivers coming down from the mountain that merged right before meeting the ocean, a few miles South of where the two journalists had landed.

"Here we go," Duo said and he led the way through the foliage. The plan was to head straight West, towards one of the branches of the river, hoping they would encounter a road or something else along the way that could lead them during their investigation.

They cut through the thick jungle. Their clothes remained damp in the humidity. Duo smelled the salt of the ocean and of his own sweat on him. Using a compass was the only way to stay on track and not veer off unwanted. Only when the trees moved in the wind did flashes of the blue sky appear above them. Around them, tropical birds sang their songs. If there was any other wildlife, they both had two hunting knives – a large one holstered at their hip and a smaller back-up on the ankle of their right foot. They had gone on many adventures together, many years ago and it seemed neither had changed his methods since. That made Duo smile, for it still connected them, in spite of how their relationship had fizzled out.

With nothing to occupy their minds as they scoured the forest, Duo called over his shoulder. "I really enjoyed your three-part piece exposing the corruption in New York's investment banking."

"Thanks."

"Surprised me to hear you ended up dating one of those bankers."

"I'm not dating 'one of those bankers'. Michael was my informant, the story wouldn't even have been possible without his intel. I did look into him and his nose was clean."

"Yeah? Or maybe you couldn't tell because he had his nose up your ass." There was a pause and then Duo was hit in the shoulder by a rock thrown his way. "Hey!" He stopped and spun around.

Heero stood a few yards back, glaring at him. "If he was a rotten apple himself, why would he help me?"

Duo shrugged. "Because he saw an opportunity to wipe out his competition? And then dating the journalist who exposed them is a pretty cunning way to make himself look innocent."

Heero chuckled bitterly and kept walking, physically pushing past the other man to take the lead. "You know what, Duo? This is why you're still stuck at the Tribune. This kind of bullshit. Just write a novel and get your recognition that way, because you are a world-class fiction-writer."

"Heero," he started as he moved to keep pace with him on the uneven flooring of the jungle. Taking care not to stumble over branches or slip on the wet stones. "I know you. The only reason you are even getting worked-up right now, is because the same thought crossed your mind."

"Well, innocent until proven guilty," he groused.

"Right… and until then the money is good huh?"

Heero stopped dead in his tracks at the insinuation and he spun around to glare at him. "That's rich, coming from you. The only reason you came to me, after two fucking years, was to get money to fund this goddamn goose chase."

"Goose chase?"

Heero threw his hands up in defeat. "Parrot chase. Whatever."

"If you think there is nothing to find, why didn't you pull the plug back in Puerto Carillo?"

"I guess because I pitied you."

"Well, I don't need your pity."

"No. No, you just need my money."

They stared at each other for a minute, each panting because of their own rage.

Duo knew there were many who pitied him, following a story that blew up in his face. He had written an article about sexual intimidation by the CEO of a large corporation, only to have his single witness recant after the paper went to press. In spite of his efforts, his career had never recovered. Heero won his Pullitzer that same year and neither could deny that Duo's jealousy and Heero's pity had played a big part in their relationship eventually failing. He got a job at the New York Times, whereas Duo was lucky to have the editor in Chief of the San Diego Union-Tribune willing to give him a chance. They had spent a lot of time apart over the course of their relationship, seeing as their work took them all around the world. But it was the distance between San Diego and New York that ended up being too much.

They didn't say any more, but just continued their trek through the jungle in silence.

They eventually reached the river, which at that point was nothing but a meter-wide stream coming down from the mountains. The water was cool and they both cupped some in their hands and splashed it on their face and neck for some relief from the sweltering heat that was trapped under the canopy of leaves. In the shortest exchange of words possible, they agreed to follow the stream down to a lower altitude.

The river widened and they crossed it before it go too deep and the current too strong and they knew they had to stop following it since it would only lead them to shore, so they headed due West again. A mist hung between the trees forming beads of condensation on their hot faces.

Duo checked his watch. They had been walking for six hours straight and he knew Heero must be as tired as he was, since they had left the hotel at four to meet the fisherman at the docks at five. It had been a short night and a long day. He called to the other, who was a few yards ahead of them, an appropriate distance that had made them both feel less tense for the past few hours. "We should take a break and get some rest."

Heero stopped, but didn't respond. Then he continued on his quickened pace.

"Heero?"

"There's something…-"

Duo grumbled under his breath, something about Heero never being the best at communicating. But he rushed to follow him and he peered through the trees and shrubbery up ahead. Between the green palm leaves and brown branches he caught glimpses of grey; steel and concrete.

Both men came to a halt at the base of a twenty foot tall fence. Horizontal steel cords, reinforced with a net of thinner wiring, strung between posts every couple of yards, on a meter-wide foundation of solid concrete. Every section of fence had a sign that read: 10.000 VOLTS. Atop the steel posts a light flashed on and off. Whenever the rustling leaves quieted long enough, they could actually hear the buzz of the electrical current running through the wires.

"What the fuck…" Heero tilted his head back and his mouth was agape.

"Still think there is no story here?"


	4. Chapter 4

They went left – South - following along the perimeter, speculating about the kind of compound that would need this measure of security when it already benefited from the advantage of being located on a remote, privately owned island and completely obscured by nearly impenetrable jungle.

After half an hour they were coming up to a ninety degree corner in the fence and Duo caught something glistening on the jungle floor. When they reached the corner, they noticed a dirt road curving towards the fence and then following it West, hugging the perimeter closely. At the center of the road lay a single metal track. He knelt down and studied it quizzically, wondering out loud what purpose it could possible serve in the middle of nowhere.

Heero tapped his shoulder and pointed down the road to a bright yellow sign with a black shape and script, too far away to read.

Wordlessly, Duo got up and started towards it. An odd hooting sound to his right drew his attention and he stopped to peer through the fence, but the foliage beyond was too dense to see anything. The hooting continued and became faint and distant. He continued towards the sign, hearing nothing now but the rustling of leaves and Heero's footfalls behind him.

The black shape was an odd, elongated skull of an animal.

When they got close enough, they could read the single word below the image.

DILOPHOSAURUS

Not knowing what else to do, Duo snapped another picture. He had his camera at the ready after taking several shots of the tall fence and the voltage signs.

"What the fuck does that mean?" Heero wondered behind him.

Duo rolled his eyes and shot a look over his shoulder. "Are you really so gay that you didn't go through a dino-phase when you were a kid? Dilophosaurus was a species of dinosaur."

"Yeah, I extrapolated that much, from the '-saurus' part… It still doesn't mean shit."

He couldn't argue with that, because he couldn't explain the meaning of the sign either. "Maybe they found fossils here, or something…" He mused uncertainly and then scrunched up his face. That didn't make much sense. InGen did fund a couple of paleontological research projects, including active dig sites, but why buy an entire island for something they were doing all over the world?

Heero shushed him and in the silence they heard a whirring sound approach them. Heero pushed him off the road, into the shadows of the tree line and they scrambled into the shrubbery until they were hidden.

They watched as two brightly colored Ford Explorers followed the track along the road. The sound of the engines soft and unusual as they were completely electric. They could make out six occupants, three in each car, but didn't see much before trees and bushes blocked their view entirely as the cars rolled on.

"Were those kids in there?" Duo asked.

Heero shrugged his shoulders, also unsure. It was too odd to be believable, although Duo could have sworn he saw a young boy and girl.

Once they were confident the cars had passed and were too far for them to be spotted, they stepped back out onto the road.

"I guess we're going that way."

They started down the road, following the direction of the vehicles. To their right, beyond the fence, the hooting returned and it accompanied them the entire way.

After a few miles the road took a sharp turn to the right, beyond which it was sandwiched by tall, electrical fencing on either side. The way was so narrow, it was only wide enough to fit vehicles and leave them barely enough space to be able to open the car doors. The 'alley' – as Duo found to be the most apt description – stretched out before them gently curving like a river meandering through the landscape.

At the start of it, there was another yellow sign, to the left of the road, with a another skull and a different name.

METRIACANTHOSAURUS

Heero struggled to pronounce it as he read the name out loud.

Duo didn't couldn't make the word roll off his tongue either, he had never heard it before. He had never had a toy reincarnation of this particular dinosaur in his pre-pubescent years.

There was a risk another set of cars could come up behind them, or the two in front could come back, but they knew they had to stay on the road rather than aimlessly wander into the jungle again. They headed down the 'alley'.

"I read this interview on John Hammond, the founder of InGen," Heero spoke as they walked side-by-side. "When he was a kid, he had this… flea circus, he said. It was the first business he owned. He charged people a buck to come see his 'fleas' perform."

Duo frowned as he listened, wondering about the purpose of the seemingly random story.

"Said he loved it. Said it was the most honest money he had ever made, even though it was all a lie. Because it was money he made making people happy."

"Okay…"

"Maybe this is like the flea circus, but more grandiose."

"What do you mean?"

"Look around. These aren't perimeter fences as a security measure, they are set up like enclosures. Like a zoo. With signs that say which animal is supposed to be in there. They have cars going through like it's a tour. He's selling another illusion that will make people happy. Like you said: what boy isn't a dino-geek at one point?"

"You, apparently. Ya freak."

Heero ignored the insult. "What if the construction workers are already so caught up in this illusion, that the stories they tell at home have old ladies hallucinating dinosaur-demons when they've probably just been attacked by a jungle cat, or a big lizard or something."

"That's a lot or presumptions. Now who's the fiction-writer?"

"I'm hypothesizing."

"Oh, sure, when you do it, it's hypothesizing, but when I do it, it's bullshitting. How would the InGen geneticists figure into this 'hypothesis'?"

"Alright. Maybe it's not a flea circus. Maybe they're incubating actual dinosaurs over here," he said flippantly.

Duo forced a laugh, although he was unsettled by the farfetched supposition.

They continued along their way and on either side new 'enclosures' were introduced by twin signs left and right.

SUCHOMIMUS and HERRERASAURUS

The road snaked between the enclosures and Heero and Duo were both on guard, listening for vehicles or other people. They came across more signs as they pushed on.

Above them, the sky was darkening and they heard a haunting howling and whistling and they didn't know what it was until they rounded another curve in the road and found themselves standing at the mouth of a tunnel cutting through the mountain. The sound was caused by the wind traveling through the concrete tunnel, echoing along its walls. They both retrieved their flashlights from their backpacks and went in.

Inside it was like a wind tunnel and certain gusts had them leaning their weight into it to prevent themselves from being pushed backwards by the invisible force of it.

An abrupt, crashing thunder that echoed through made them pause.

"Seems like the storm isn't 'drifting South' like the others did," Duo spoke, remembering the fisherman had warned them about the upcoming weather.

The tunnel was over a mile long and Duo was close to feeling claustrophobic when the sight of light in the distance relieved him.

Five more minutes of walking and they reached the other end of the tunnel.

In the meantime clouds had rolled in. The sky was grey and the light of dusk was weak. There was a faint drizzle of rain.

To their left there was another fence again, along the outer curve of the road. The fence was taller than they had seen before – easily thirty feet tall. It also consisted of only the thick, horizontal chords, not laced with the web of thinner wires like the previous fences they had observed. The yellow sign to the right of the road was bigger too than they had encountered before.

TYRANNOSAURUS REX

Duo definitely had that one as a toy when he was younger. He felt uncomfortable, frightened even, but he couldn't express that without coming across as an idiot. Dinosaurs are extinct, after all, and an imposing fence on a tropical island shouldn't be enough to have him considering otherwise.

Heero certainly didn't appear impressed, although he was interested. He leaned against the concrete base of the fence, almost as tall as he was. Duo joined him. There was a chasm on the other side, but further to the right the ground rolled up to the same height as it was on their side of the fence.

"I'm guess this is supposed to be like the big boss at the end of a level?"

Duo chuckled. Of course Heero hadn't been a dino-geek, he was a gaming-geek growing up. "Yeah, this would be Bowser."

A meek bleat drew their attention and with furrowed frowns they walked along the concrete base until they discovered a white goat tied to a post just beyond the fence.

Heero let out a laugh at the idea that the goat was the creature the fence was built to contain.

Duo grew increasingly uneasy. "Maybe it's food…"

"You can't be serious."

Duo shrugged.

"Well, if there really was a dinosaur in here, the goat would have been eaten already. So you can stop worrying."

Heero's mockery didn't make him feel much better. Duo turned around and scanned their surroundings. He spotted a grass hut down the road, marked as restrooms. He suggested for them to take shelter there, as the rain intensified. But Heero refused to spend the night in the restrooms and left no room for argument.

They walked on. It was starting to pour and thunder clapped again. Duo was about to berate his partner for being too proud to sleep in a couple of restrooms which had probably never been used before anyway. But right before he could open his mouth they reached a small clearing with a brick maintenance shed at the center and Heero looked insufferably victorious. Part of Duo hoped the door would be locked, but it wasn't.

It was small and dark, but Heero found a light switch. They studied the supplies on the shelving, finding nothing of interest. Just tools and equipment and an empty loading dock to charge car batteries. They both froze when the lights suddenly died.

Duo's flashlight was the first to be flicked on. He walked back to the door and uselessly tried the light switch a couple of times. "Weird."

Heero used his flashlight to continue to look around. He opened a crate and was pleased to find blankets. He put his flashlight upright on a nearby table to illuminate the space and free his hands. He promptly started stripping out of his wet clothing.

Duo shamelessly aimed a beam of light at him. "Uhm…-" He was shut-up by Heero tossing a blanket at him. He barely caught it against his chest.

The Japanese man wrapped another blanket around himself when he was left in only his underwear. His clothes he hung off the shelves, so they could dry after being soaked in the rain.

Duo followed his lead. They would never get dry otherwise and in spite of the warm climate, wet clothes could still drop their body temperature too low at night.

The other blankets Heero bundled up on the floor and took a seat on top of them. Duo joined him on the makeshift bed. Without a thought they lay down close together to facilitate sharing body heat. Duo stared at Heero's shadowy face. His blue eyes were deep pools in which all light disappeared.

"Is this a weird time to say I've missed you?" Duo mused.

"Yes."

He grinned and he felt warmer already when Heero grinned back at him.

"Do you really think it's nothing more than a flea circus?" He asked, after Heero had already closed his eyes, intent on getting some sleep.

The other shrugged. "Maybe more like 'Pirates of the Caribbean'."

"Like with dinosaur-animatronics and stuff?"

"Yeah, something like that." Heero cracked his eyes open again.

"So this Hammond guy buys an island and has miles' worth of electrical fencing built, just to plop a couple of robots into an exhibit and call it a Disney ride?"

"He is not widely known as 'eccentric' without reason."

Duo thought for a moment. That theory would be fine, if not for the other information they had. "And he has mercenaries kill people on the mainland to keep it a secret until the grand opening? And he has his best scientists flown in to rehearse a theater-bit for the visitors?"

Heero didn't bat an eye, making Duo realize those same questions had been on his mind too.

"Doesn't make sense," they said in unison and then they both grinned again.

A while later – Duo didn't know how long – he had been close to falling asleep, in spite of the rumbling lightning, the rain clattering on the metal sheet roof and the hard floor they lay on. Duo had slept in more uncomfortable conditions. But as he drifted off a new sound cut through the jungle.

A hollow roar with a completely alien pitch.

He shot upright, startling Heero who had already been asleep.

"Wha-?"

Another roar, more drawn-out, interrupted Heero.

There was an unfathomable weight to the sound.

"More thunder?" Heero weakly supposed.

Duo shot him a skeptical look. "That is not thunder."

They listened intently and caught the bellows a few more times. It was an animal, Duo was convinced of it, just unlike any animal he had ever heard before.

He was reminded, involuntarily, of the elderly woman, squirming in her hospital bed, muttering about a demon – some unknown creature.

The night went quiet eventually and Heero urged him to get some rest.


	5. Chapter 5

**Apologies for the mix-up! The pitfalls of working on two stories simultaneously?**

* * *

In the morning the sun was shining and the only animals to be heard were birds singing a praise for the sunrise.

Thankfully, their clothes had dried. They dressed, ate and drank, and used the outdoors as a restroom. They only had a little water left and knew they should be looking out for a place to refill.

Neither spoke of what they had heard that night. There was nothing to be said anyway, only questions to be asked and the other wouldn't have the answers.

They continued along the road as they had most of the day before. It cut through the jungle without any sight of a fence and Duo wondered if they had been going in the wrong direction all along and, instead of following the cars, should have gone the way the cars had come from, yesterday.

Parrots disrupted the elegant musicality of songbirds with squawks, whistles and gurgles. Duo's ears also picked up on that hooting again, that he recognized from yesterday.

"So… uh… How does Michael feel about you working on a story with me?"

"Where is that coming from all of a sudden?"

Duo shrugged. "You know I've never been good with long silences. If today is another day like yesterday, my sanity won't make it through."

"Your sanity gave up on all of us a long time ago…"

"Ha. Ha."

"He doesn't care about us working together." With a grunt Heero climbed over a tree that had fallen across the road.

"Oh…" He followed the other over the log, a little less elegantly. "He's a cool guy then, I guess."

"He doesn't know we used to date."

The off-handed remark threw Duo off. "Why didn't you tell him about us?"

"He knows about 'us'. He just doesn't know you are you."

That somehow made sense to Duo as a sentence, but he still didn't understand why Heero hadn't been forthcoming with his partner.

"I thought Michael would think the same thing I did," Heero said, like he had once more read Duo's mind. He had always been good at that, being able to tell what the long-haired man was thinking. Duo just thought he would have unlearned by now, with how much time had passed.

Duo was also pretty good at deciphering what Heero meant most of the time. This time, however, he wasn't catching on. "And what would that be?"

Heero stopped and looked at him. With a calm and cool voice, he said: "That you fabricated a story to get us together again."

"…" His mouth was open but no sound came out.

Heero started walking again and Duo kept staring at the spot the man had long vacated.

He stammered something meaningless, like a computer making noise through a reboot. He jogged to catch up to the other and walked alongside him with his torso turned towards him. "You seriously believed that?"

"Yeah."

"Until…?" He waited for Heero to fill in the blank.

"Honestly? Until yesterday." He made a dismissive gesture.

When his wit returned to him, he smirked.

Heero cocked an eyebrow at his self-satisfied expression.

"So for the past week you thought this was one elaborate scheme to get us back together – which it wasn't-"

"Right."

"-but you went along with it." He poked at Heero's shoulder. "You thought this was my way of flirting and you were into it. Hence, in reality, I'm not the one still into you, you're the one still into me."

It was Heero's turn to stammer until he managed: "No, that's not… that's not exactly-"

"Don't worry, it's okay. I'm flattered. It's not every day to have a Pullitzer prize winner pining for a plebian not unlike myself."

"Oh, stick a cork in it, you asshole." Realizing Duo was just messing with him, the shorter man pushed him hard enough to cause him to fall to the ground.

Duo landed in the dirt with a grunt and then let out a loud laugh that hurt the side he had landed on. He took a deep breath and reached out his hand and wasn't disappointed when Heero instantly grabbed on and hoisted him back on his feet. He dusted himself off and then they kept going.

At noon, they came to a stop.

The road went through a gate in another tall fence.

A sign by the gate read:

VALLEY OF THE GENTLE GIANTS

"What now?"

Heero approached the gate and looked up at the lights at the top of the fence post. The lights were off. "It wasn't just the power in the shed that went out. It's out here too." He tested the gate, pushing against it with his full weight, but it didn't open. Then he examined the fence to the right. Just like the fencing around the 'T-rex paddock', the openings between the steel cords were big, certainly large enough for them to fit through. He climbed up onto the concrete foundation and stepped over the bottom wire, while ducking under the next one up.

"What are you going?" Duo hissed.

"We have to keep going. See where this road takes us."

"But… what if this massive fucking steel gate isn't just for show? What if there is actually something in there?"

Heero snorted and dismissed his concerns. "Then it's a good thing the sign says 'Valley of the Gentle Giants'. Not: 'Plains of the Face-Eaters'." He chuckled at his own joke and jumped off the concrete base.

"You're not funny. It's not funny." Duo was apprehensive, but when Heero began to taunt him, he knew there would be no convincing the other to stay on the outside of the fence and see if they could walk around the supposed enclosure. So he climbed up and stepped through the opening between the inch-thick wires and joined his partner on the other side. He was careful not to touch the wound cords of steel, even though it was apparent they were currently not electrified. Those repetitive signs warning of 10.000 volts still made him uneasy.

Beyond the fence, the road continued along a single, open path through densely packed trees. It was like walking through a tunnel of foliage. Trees on either side reached over with their branches, like they were grabbing at each other from across the way. Thinner lower branches had been cut off. Thicker branches had been sawed off. All in an effort to keep the dirt road from being overgrown. Palm leaves shuddered in the wind.

Up ahead was bright sunlight and both men were blinded when they stepped out into the light.

Before them, an incredible vista was revealed, once their eyes adjusted. Plains of grass sloping down to form a soft valley surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges. A small river coming down from the North, culminated in a glistening lake at the bottom of the valley where black shapes had gathered. Their silhouettes fuzzy and trembling as the heat of the air peaked at midday. Duo squinted in attempt to see, but it was like trying to focus on a mirage.

Heero's gaze, instead, had been tracing the jagged edges where the green mountains cut into the blue sky and he didn't look down until a call of an animal spread throughout the vast open space. Soon after, the dark creatures all moved, one by one, throwing their heads up to the sky and mimicking each other's calls.

"What are those?" Heero asked, his voice soft with wonder.

"I don't know." 'Gentle Giants' perhaps. If perspective wasn't playing a trick on her eyes, the animals were definitely gigantic and their calls implied a calm, peaceful nature. Duo dropped his backpack to the ground and dug into it in search of his binoculars. He straightened up, popped the protective caps off and aimed his vision down at the lake. With a light touch of his fingers he adjusted the focus as all he could see at first was the sparkling of the water's surface.

Five animals unlike anything he had ever seen in real life stood at the water's edge. One had his head down to drink while the others were still exchanging calls. They stood on powerful hind quarters, their massive bodies balanced out by long, thick tails that moved stiffly. Their short front limbs they kept tucked up against their chest. Their heads were long, with eyes too small to see from the distance, even with the binoculars. The line of their skull continued in an elongated crest on the back of their heads which was a muted shade of red while the rest of their massive bodies was a cool tone of grey, with a lighter streak along their flank.

"Duo?"

"Uhm…" His mouth was parch dry. He couldn't quite believe what he was looking at. He searched for a more logical explanation than the one that came to mind unbidden, but he was not hallucinating and those were not animatronics either. Rather than rushing to say something that sounded absolutely mental even in the privacy of his own thoughts, he wordlessly handed the binoculars to Heero, so he could have a look for himself.

Heero's blue eyes disappeared behind the binoculars. Duo watched his mouth. It was tight at first as the man searched the valley, then his lips parted in a silent gasp. "I- I… I don't understand. Those look like…" He didn't finish his sentence, equally as reluctant as Duo to be the first to say it. But then he did it, he put the word out there. "Those look like dinosaurs."

"Yeah. Specifically, they look like Parasaurolophus."

Heero lowered the binoculars. "You recognize the species? That's an actual species of dinosaur, not just the result of a mad scientist splicing all kinds of animals together to make something random that looks like a dinosaur?" He was rambling, in utter shock.

"Uhh… no. Nope. Those definitely look like things I've seen a million times as a kid." He didn't know how it was possible.

"It's a dinosaur… It's a dinosaur." Heero kept saying it aloud to rid himself of his own disbelief.

"I sure am glad you came with me. No one would have believed me if it'd just been me out here." The breath was knocked out of him when Heero collided with him in a hug which sent them both tumbling into the grass, with Heero landing on top of Duo.

The Japanese man enveloped him with his arms suddenly and held him in a tight embrace. Heero's breaths were hot in his neck and Duo was grateful to hug him.

"Duo, this is the most incredible story ever."

"I'm glad you're here with me," he said again, but he meant it differently that time.

Heero detached from him, rolled off him and regarded him with sparkling eyes. He laughed, then smacked Duo's belly. "You and your goddamn gut feelings." He scrambled up to his feet and shook off his backpack to rummage around for his camera. "We have to get closer and take pictures," he said excitedly.

"What? Are you crazy?" He grabbed Heero's upper arm before the man would bolt down the slopes.

"It said 'gentle' giants, Duo."

"Yeah, but still giants. Who could trample you to death."

"Duo, if we come back with pictures of fences and a couple of blobs by a lake in the distance, my credibility as a journalist won't mean shit. They won't believe us."

He said sternly: "I won't let you go near those things."

"I won't go in for a close-up, just close enough so that when we zoom in they'll actually be in focus. Besides, we have to get water anyway."

To that Duo reluctantly agreed. After all, he too wanted to be able to tell this story without becoming the butt of a joke until InGen would finally let the world in on their not-so-little secret. That could mean years of unbearable ridicule, the kind careers could not recover from, not even when their insane claim would be proven right in the end. Because then they'd be the fuck-up journalists who had the scoop of a lifetime but were too inept or too cowardly to get the proof they needed.

However, they hadn't even taken ten steps down towards the dinosaurs at the bottom of the valley, when the ground underneath their feet started to shake.

They both stopped and looked at each other in question. The vibrations became stronger, but too gradual for it to be mistaken for an earthquake. Their ears then picked up on a rumbling noise, approaching from the left. They turned their heads but all they saw was a grassy hill. Still, something was drawing nearer and fast and as it closed in on them, faint bird-like shrieks could be heard over the building rumble.

Suddenly the first of a herd of creatures broke over the crest of the hill and came hurdling in their direction, followed by dozens more. They looked like featherless ostriches. Duo had no idea what they were. They didn't resemble any of the toys he used to have, nor were illustrations of them featured in any of the books he'd collected. Frankly, it was a mere coincidence that he recognized the parasaurolophus, because as a young boy he had almost exclusively been interested in the big carnivores. The parasaurs had the simple benefit of a having a horn that made them 'look cool' to his eleven-year-old-self.

The herd reached them before the two men had even thought to run. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, they couldn't have possibly outrun the agile bipedal animals.

Duo clasped his fingers into Heero's blue shirt and pulled the man against him, hoping their combined mass would deter the animals from running over them.

The shrieking herd broke around them, like a river breaking on a rock. The ground shook so powerfully and the animals running past them in a hoard was so disorienting, that if the two hadn't been holding onto each other for support, they might have toppled over.

"It's like something spooked them!" Duo shouted.

Simultaneously the two men looked back to the top of the hill where the herd had come from and their eyes widened at the source of the 'ostriches' panic.

Charging down the hill was an enormous monster whose every footfall they felt in their chests where their hearts had stopped. The creature was a giant pair of jaws with teeth, propelled by two muscular legs. As it chased the herd in a rampage, it let out a roar that they both recognized from that night.

They had been rooted in their spot for too long before sheer shock made way for survival instinct and they sprinted back in the direction of the gate.

The dinosaur was quick to notice that the two of them were much slower and easier prey than the herd it had been hunting and it veered off course to come after them.

Duo threw a look over his shoulder and screamed at the top of his lungs at the sight of the dinosaur snapping its powerful jaws in its pursuit of them. He had never run so fast in life but he had no faith it would be fast enough. "Run! Run!" He kept shouting at Heero, as if the man would seriously think of taking a break. Heero was a little bit ahead of him, but kept looking back to check if Duo was keeping up. His eyes, however, also kept darting beyond Duo and the increasing fear in his eyes made it apparent they would soon be overtaken.

They reached the forest just in time and zigzagged through the tightly packed trees. The rhythm of the heavy footfalls slowed until it stopped altogether. The strip of jungle was too dense for the mammoth carnivore to make it through and it had no choice but to give up on trying to catch them.

Neither of the journalists stopped running. They kept going until they encountered the fence. They climbed over the concrete and slipped between the wiring to drop down in the dirt on the other side, where they both rolled onto their backs and sucked greedily for air. Some distance away the dinosaur let out a roar in which the frustration was audible.

Duo's heart was pounding and his lungs burned. His limbs were shaking uncontrollably.

"Are you-… Are you okay?" Heero managed between wheezing breaths.

No! "Yeah. F-fine…"

"You and you're goddamn gut feelings… What was that thing?"

Duo waited to properly catch his breath. He propped himself up on his elbows to look at Heero's flustered face. "That was Bowser."


	6. Chapter 6

Once the initial shock had faded, Duo didn't dare to stay. He attempted to radio the fisherman and set up a time and place for a pick-up – unconvinced by his fellow journalist, who was still adamant about getting a proper picture to accompany their front page story. However, all he received was static. The mountains were interfering with the signal. They knew they had to be closer to the shore to be able to reach the fisherman.

A short search concluded with them finding the gate to the valley and the road that had led them there and they decided to follow it back the way they came, since they wouldn't let it take it through the valley now that they knew what was out there. The idea of heading into jungle also didn't appeal to them. There was some safety to the dirt road, even if it was only imagined.

They were quiet, each lost in their own thoughts. It had been quite a rollercoaster, dropping down into pure terror from the heights of ecstasy. It was an incredible discovery, but now they better understood the kind of danger they were in.

Duo was antsy. Every sound that the forest produced plucked at his nerves like the strings of a guitar until it was an unrelenting, building crescendo.

Before long they spotted the yellow sign of the Tyrannosaurus Rex enclosure, as well as an equally bright Ford Explorer. Perhaps the same as the one they had seen before. They approached the vehicle with caution, but it proved to have been abandoned.

He had been so focused on the car, that Duo hadn't even noticed the destroyed fence until Heero tugged at the sleeve of his shirt and pointed directly at it. The thick wires had been snapped, three complete sections were missing and part of the fence further down the way was listing.

"That explains it," Duo muttered. The T-rex had broken free from its pen, only to break into the 'Valley of the Gentle Giants'. The power on all of the electric fences was down, it appeared and it spelled disaster for the kind of 'zoo' this island had been turned into.

He spun around his own axes, shooting looks at trees and bushes that moved, but it was only the wind.

The doors to the car were open and Heero leaned in on the driver's side.

"Keys still in there?"

Heero popped his head out. "There is no keyhole for ignition. It looks like it's not meant to be driven, but just runs on some kind of guidance system. That's probably what the track in the road is for."

Duo lowered himself down to the ground to peer under the vehicle, but it didn't attach to the track in any way. A remote signal could steer the car, but not power it. "Maybe I can get it to start." Heero stepped out of the way so Duo could climb into the driver's seat and then leaned against the door frame with one arm, watching.

He appraised the interior for a moment. A computer screen had been fitted into the glossy, walnut dashboard. The leather crinkled and smelled brand new. An acrylic pane mounted on supports covered the wheel. He figured if the car couldn't be manually operated at all, the steering wheel would have simply been removed, not covered up. With his hunting knife Duo pried the panel at the bottom of the steering column open. A story about kids in Detroit stealing cars had taught him how to hotwire a car. It wasn't as quick as the movies made him seem, but if he was patient with himself, he could manage.

He located the right wires, leading to the battery and the ignition and stripped away half an inch of insulation on the ends of each and he twisted the copper ends around each other, since he didn't have electrical tape to attach them. Then he found the wire for the starter motor and stripped that too. With his feet at the ready on the pedals, he touched the exposed ends together, expecting the engine to turn on and ready to rev to keep it running.

Nothing happened.

He tried it a few more times, pausing to check to make sure he had the right wires. He did. He tried once more and that was when he noticed a red light blinking behind the acrylic pane, indicating the car was getting power, but not enough to start. "Dammit. The battery is dead."

He had been looking forward to continuing the rest of the way in the relative safety on the vehicle, but they would have to go on on foot.

"Maybe that's why they left it," Heero supplied, making room for Duo to get out.

Duo looked around and caught sight of the grass hut restrooms. The small building had completely collapsed. Large, three-toed footprints and tire tracks marred the dirt road. He shivered as all kinds of scenarios played in his head. "We should keep going," he said, anxious to get away from the eerie spot, even though he knew there was no escaping his fear until he would be back on that fishing boat. "I want to get off this goddamn island."

The mouth of the tunnel before them was like that of a monster meaning to swallow them up and Duo paused at the sight of the dark void.

The quickest way back to shore and back to safety, was the way they came, but he dreaded stepping into that total darkness, not knowing what could be lurking within.

They both produced their flashlights from their backpacks and took their first steps in.

The sound of the jungle faded until only the dripping of water and their own footfalls remained.

The beams of light they shown ahead of them lit the ground and the walls, but couldn't penetrate the blackness straight ahead. If something was in there, they wouldn't see it until it was only a few yards ahead of them.

Occasionally Duo turned back to shine his light behind them.

Their way through the tunnel took long. Too long. Longer, it seemed, than the first time they had gone through. Like the tunnel itself had stretched to prolong their fear.

Duo was breathing so loudly he feared it echoed through the entire tunnel, alerting every creature on the island to their presence. He could tell Heero was tense too. More than once he watched the Japanese man freeze to listen, when there was nothing there – thankfully. The beam of Heero's flashlight trembled as the hand that held the flashlight shook. Duo's own aim wasn't much steadier.

When the light at the end of the tunnel appeared, Duo resisted the urge to sprint towards it as he yearned for daylight and fresh air.

They both took a deep breath when they emerged and were enveloped once more by the singing and chattering of birds and the rustle of the leaves. It was deafening in comparison.

However, their terror wasn't over.

The 'alley' stretched out before them. It wasn't dark, like the tunnel, but it still felt claustrophobic. They were still closed in.

The first time they had passed through, they could hear the buzzing of the electric fences that towered over them on either side. That sound was absent now. The lights atop the steel posts were still switched off. The security measure was inactive and it was sorely missed now that they knew what kind of threat was lurking inside those enclosures.

It wasn't a flea circus. It wasn't an illusion. It was real.

The fear was real too.

The two men shared a look, each reluctant but both knowing they could not stop.

As they walked on, Duo recounted what they had seen, because how could he not? Those creatures – 'dinosaurs' was still odd to even think – were as impressive as they were imposing. He tried to explain their de-extinction to himself and briefly wondered if perhaps Isla Nublar had somehow been shielded from the process of evolution going on all over earth for millions of years, preserving the prehistoric animals. But that idea sounded even more crazy to him than the only other explanation: that InGen had not discovered them, but created them.

Not being a man of science, Duo had no idea how that was possible and they would have to dig into that as they'd write the story. But now he understood why a genetic research corporation had been funding fossil digs for the past couple of years. He wondered if it was possible to get DNA from fossilized bone, quickly dismissing the suggestion based on how ridiculous it was. 'Fossilized', in essence, meant the bone had been turned to stone, after all. The phrase 'can't draw blood from stone' was strangely applicable. Couldn't extract DNA from it either. But then how?

And even if they did find or reconstruct a complete gene sequence, how did they come to a viable embryo to incubate?

The science of it was mind boggling. Certainly to him at least. He bounced some ideas off Heero, knowing the man had a pre-existing interest in this sort of stuff, but the other journalist quickly admitted this was way beyond his scope of knowledge and he was certain it would be the same for many of the world's most learned scientists. Because if it was easy, it would have been done a long time ago, so Heero said.

"Why do you think that?"

"Because of the dino-geek phase. Never mind the immortal fame you achieve with such a scientific endeavor of bringing back extinct beast, it is a goldmine. Every kid wants to see a real dinosaur and the parents who could afford it would spend thousands to come visit a place like this."

"But what of the repercussions?"

Heero scoffed. "Science has never been deterred, or even slowed down by repercussions. Science simply bulldozes on. It's the most powerful force on earth, not even the Catholic church could stop it."

Duo made a face. "Let's not write a religious debate into this article."

"Our witness described the creature that attacked her as a demon," Heero pointed out. "There is some kind of theme here that can be woven in, that really says something more that: Look, dinosaurs."

"Oh, she's 'our' witness now, huh?" He scrunched up his face. "It's probably better not to include her. I've had troubles before with witness who recanted their stories."

Heero's expression was sympathetic but his tone was unyielding. "Duo, the woman was mauled by a dinosaur. As soon as we give her her credibility back by exposing the truth, she'll want to open up about the ordeal she survived."

It sparked a thought that hadn't occurred to Duo before. "How did the thing even get to the mainland? There's like a hundred-and-twenty-odd miles of ocean between here and there."

"Maybe it was some kind of amphibious dinosaurs. Or maybe some kind of flying thing? Or perhaps it was a stow-away on a boat."

That didn't make much sense. Why would InGen create a dinosaurs that had the physicality to escape the confinement of the island? Or what kind of dinosaur would be smart enough to hide away on a ship? Maybe they flew it to the mainland themselves, perhaps an unwise decision to conduct more studies over the course of the weekend, thinking it wouldn't escape containment. Whatever the logistics, it was a compelling part of the story: InGen hiring mercenaries to hunt down an escaped asset and covering up the deaths it had left in its wake as it hunted along the coast of Costa Rica.

Those kinds of repercussions might not stop science, but it would sure bring a swift end to a 'zoo' like this.

He was about to continue their discussion, noticing Heero had gone silent midway in their back-and-forth, until he followed his partner's worried blue gaze to discover something he had been too preoccupied to notice before. He swallowed a lump in his throat that may well have been his still heart.

A few yards up ahead, the wires and cords of the fence to the left of the road had been pulled apart, creating a large opening. The steel wires jutted out over the road. The ends of the wound cords were frayed as they appeared to have been chewed.

"Which pen is this?" Heero asked in a barely audible whisper.

Duo only shook his head, even though the other wasn't even looking at him to be able to tell. He didn't know. He hadn't been paying attention to the signs, which had been an odd curiosity yesterday, but too frightening to really study today. He searched his memory, remembering the names of the species. Dilophosaurus, Proceratosaurus, Suchomimus, Herrerasaurus and… one more, but he couldn't remember. It had been an odd name, something with an X.

"Baryonyx," he recalled suddenly. But according from his books from when he was young, a Baryonyx would be far too large to fit through the opening that had been created.

"Is that it?"

"No, Baryonyx is too big."

"This looks like it was done by something big…"

"Not that big." The same went for Suchomimus, which was larger still.

"Whatever it is… it's out."

Duo released a shuddering breath. He had cherished naïve hope that most of the other animals would have been unaware of the power going out and would have stayed away from the fences as they must have, at some point in the past, known it would shock them on contact. But then he realized that since they could hear the absence of the charging buzz, the animals could too and, much like modern day animals, they probably had better senses than humans and had dared to investigate.

He stopped himself from suggesting that they should go back. There was no guarantee there was any safety there and he did not want to risk going back through that tunnel. The only hope that remained was that the creature had made its way through the alley quickly and had long disappeared into the freedom of the jungle. So, instead he said: "We should keep going." With a gentle touch to the small of Heero's back, just below his backpack, he urged him to move.

Their pace was slow. The crunch of dirt under their boots was too loud for either of them to be able to stand. Every rustle of leaves had Duo about ready to jump out of his skin. He sweated profusely, not because of the heat or humidity. Every bead of sweat running down his temple and his neck also made him acutely aware that they had run out of water a few hours ago, adding to their dangerous situation.

Duo didn't think he would physically be able to stand the tension he felt. It made him ill. It made it hard to breath. It made every heartbeat painful.

Occasionally the road would curve, robbing them of their view of what was ahead.

He wished the parrots would stop squawking and he wished the wind would die down, so they could at least hear better.

They rounded another curve and both halted abruptly and held their breath.

Only a tail was visible at first. Long and slender. It was almost white, with a black tip and black banding. It flicked and then moved as the creature pivoted and its head and body came into view.

It stood about six feet tall, on two legs. Two forearms folded under its chest. The body was white – with black striping and mottling. The head was inky black. The yellow eyes glowed as it regarded the two men. It tilted its snout up and sniffed the air as it seemed it was still trying to figure out what they were as they tried to determine what it was.

Herrerasaurus, Duo supposed, although it had always been depicted in darker and muted colors. Of the dinosaurs mentioned on the signs, Herrerasaurus was the one to match the physique of the animal in front of them. Even if he had wrongly identified it, it was still very clearly a carnivore. The fingers on the front limbs culminated in long, curving claws and when it opened its jaw as if to taste their scent on its tongue, it exposed narrow, sharp teeth.

Only twenty feet but over 200 million years removed between them, for a while neither party knew what to do.

It took a step towards them, almost apprehensively.

Duo and Heero reactively jumped back and Duo tripped over his own feet and fell backwards.

Then it all boiled down to two things:

Predator.

And prey.

As soon as that clicked for the creature, it leapt forward with a shriek. The claws on the feet dug into the dirt for traction so it could quickly build up to its full speed.

Heero pulled Duo up by his arm. They stood absolutely no chance of outrunning it, so instead their instincts drove them to climb. The two men jumped apart and into opposite fences.

The fence shook as Duo hoisted his weight into it, as fast as his trembling arms and legs could manage. The thin wires cut into his fingers as he pulled himself up by them. The thicker cords were easier to hold onto, but too far apart to solely rely on. He heard the rasping breaths of the creature beneath him and he hoped he was high enough to be safe. He had nearly reached the top of the fence when Heero's scream pierced the air.

Duo threw a look over his shoulder. Heero hadn't been able to climb up quite as high as he had, but he was out of reach from the dinosaur. However, it wasn't giving up on the hunt and it repeatedly jumped up, snapping at Heero's feet. With every leap its body crashed against the fence, making it shake violently. Heero hooked his arms through the web of wiring in a desperate attempt to hold on and not get thrown off the fence.

"Hey! Hey!" Duo shouted and he rattled the fence he was on in an attempt to distract the creature long enough so Heero could climb higher.

The Herrerasaurus didn't react to him, it had completely zeroed in on its prey and kept jumping into the fence. If it was any smarter, it would think to get up on the concrete base of the fencing first and jump up from there. The two feet of difference would enable it to latch its mouth onto Heero's feet. Duo feared it would only be a matter of time before it figured that out, or discovered it by accident. Right now the collision of the fence threw it back far enough every time that it landed with its feet in the dirt.

It clawed at the wires every time and with one final jump, its right forearm got caught between the wires. The dinosaurs scrambled for footing, finding it on the concrete base. But with its claw stuck, it couldn't jump up anymore. However, it thrashed its entire body, powerful enough to nearly succeed in shaking Heero off. The man screamed, but not for help, because he knew there was nothing Duo could do.

Duo watched in horror, unable to think.

The weight of the dinosaur, combined with its aggressive pulling and convulsing, caused the fence to start to lean forward with a sickening groan. The steel posts were gradually buckling, tilting the fence down at an angle.

The animal's feet came back down to the dirt road and it kept pulling on its arm, while simultaneously snapping its jaws at Heero who would soon become easier to reach.

A sudden, blaring alarm startled Duo and his eyes were drawn to the lights atop the steel post of the fence Heero was on. They were blinking rapidly as a warning.

The lights on the fence on his side were still off.

He knew what was happening. The power was coming back on. Soon, 10.000 volts would electrify the fence. "Heero, jump!"

"Are you crazy?!"

"Jump!"

The other journalist disentangled himself from the fence and was thrown off by the rabid shaking of the dinosaurs. The sweeping tail hit him as he fell and he landed in the dirt with a thud and a grunt.

The dinosaur extended itself as far as it could, biting at him, while its limb was still stuck.

Heero pushed himself up on his feet and climbed up the opposite fence, afraid the creature would free itself and grab him.

Duo came down and helped Heero up, right before the animal caused the entire fence to list forward so far that it collapsed and fell against the opposite.

The alarm blared again and the lights blinked faster.

The two men were at the top of the fence. Even though the lights on their side weren't blinking, the electricity would pass through from the other side, now that the two were in direct contact.

"Jump!" Duo said again and this time they both jumped.

They fell onto ground, into the enclosure and Duo crawled on top of Heero to shield him when sparks started to fly and the Herrerasaurus screeched – a most horrifying sound that cut right through them. It flailed about until it suddenly went limp and silent.

Duo pulled Heero up from the ground and then pulled him into his embrace, squeezing him tightly to stop him from trembling and letting him cry into his neck.


	7. Chapter 7

They knew they weren't safe. They wouldn't be safe anywhere on the island, but especially not within an enclosure of a creature that might not have escaped yet. But they couldn't shake another near-miss off so easily. Rest was needed, to get the chill out of their bones.

The guilt was almost unbearable. Guilt for bringing Heero into this situation. It had nearly cost him his life.

Holding Heero's hand, Duo walked them away from the fence, away from the smell of burning flesh. Who knew what kind of attention that would attract? They headed further into the enclosure and Duo caught sight of a thick tree trunk amidst the thinner palms and low ferns. He headed for it. It took no more than a gentle pull to get Heero to follow.

He stood at the base, between the tree's sprawling roots, and looked up. The extending branches higher up were still sturdy enough to be able to support their weight. Stubs of branches lower on the tree trunk would make the behemoth of nature relatively easy to climb. It wasn't a type of tree he recognized. It was as thick as a mature Redwood tree, but not nearly as tall. The bark was smooth and the leaves were large. His inquisitive mind toyed with the idea that the creators of the park had managed to resurrect more than the prehistoric fauna alone.

"Up," he told his partner.

Heero grabbed onto the highest branch he could reach and pulled himself up. Duo gave him a boost, clasping his hands around the man's calf and lifting him higher so his other foot could seek purchase in a hollow. The journalist had hurt his wrist when he had jumped – more like fallen – off that first fence, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to use his left hand to hold some of his weight.

Duo climbed up after him, throwing looks over his shoulder the entire time he was still too low to the ground for his liking. The jungle was quiet, too quiet. He wondered why the birds weren't singing around them. It appeared something had spooked them.

"This seems good," Duo said when he reached a thick branch at a height that made him more comfortable.

But Heero kept going, remarking: "If there is another thing the size of Bowser in here, this would be the perfect biting height."

Duo grimaced. "Higher it is."

By the time Heero had selected two branches for them to straddle, they were so high up Duo was scared for his life for other reasons. He looked down only once and vertigo settled in instantly. So he picked a leaf of a neighboring tree to focus his gaze on. He watched it shudder in the wind, that penetrated through the canopy and swept between the trees. He leaned his left arm over a branch that jutted out by his side. The extra grip made him feel more secure.

The needed rest, but they couldn't sleep; they'd fall out of the tree. So they talked. Not about the bleak situation they were in, but about what they had been doing for the past two years, which they had spent apart. The conversation worked to keep them alert enough to stay awake, while distracting them from the threats surrounding them. Only occasionally did they fall quiet, at the sound of a roar in the distance, or that hooting nearby.

Duo talked about the feature he had in the Sunday edition of the San Diego Union Tribune. A 'local detective' kind of gig that had originated as a humiliating joke. He delved into inconsequential neighborly disputes to write light-hearted puff pieces that would be skimmed over in favor of the crossword puzzle right next to it. Through his own determination, however, he had managed to turn in to a legitimate series of weekly articles, investigating local cases of arson, robbery and cold cases like the missing person's case that had him stumbling onto this story – the first story that had ever led him abroad since getting the assignment. There was no fame involved. It wasn't exactly hard-hitting journalism, but it gave focus and purpose to his perpetual, incurable curiosity.

Heero told tales from around the world. He hadn't been as prolific, since his stories required several months of research. Of the five articles he had written over the course of two years, four of them had been featured on the cover of The New York Times. His stories were making a difference in the world; Heero was the kind of journalist Duo referred to when he convinced Miss Gonzalez to let them talk to her traumatized mother. The kind of stories that caught the public's attention and the mass outcry in response fostered positive change. Heero didn't say as much. As a journalist he was ambitious and proud, but as a man he was not arrogant or self-serving. Duo had checked in on his career over the years – an extension of that curiosity. He was still invested in the man's future, even though he had no longer been a part of it.

Michael wasn't mentioned. Not even once. Not even in passing. Duo suspected Michael wouldn't be a part of Heero's future either. The two lovers probably just hadn't acknowledged that to each other yet.

A rumbling noise had them bite their words again. But it wasn't an animal. They listened with wide eyes and Heero was the first to recognize what it was.

"A helicopter."

It passed almost right above them, traveling from East to West.

"Maybe its backup… to get this place back in order?" Duo wondered.

An hour later, the sound returned. Duo hoped it was more backup, but this time the chopper went from West to East and he presumed someone had been picked up and was going back to the mainland. Still, it appeared not everything on the island had gone to shit yet. Perhaps there was still a functioning part to the park to the West.

They both ended up feeling more calm. The jitters from yet another near-death experience had subsided and they were ready to move on. It was tempting to stay up in that tree, but the sun was setting and there were two things they desperately needed: a safe place where they could actually sleep and water. Both were experienced in dangerous situations and both knew from that experience that taking care of the body was vital to surviving. Yes, they could function on a sleepless night and early stages of dehydration, but they would be handicapped by their tired minds and bodies.

The sunlight was already too weak to penetrate the canopy when they agreed to climb back down.

A dark blue hue in the jungle had settled between the trees. A fog had rolled in as well. Their vision was limited.

Two options were available to them.

They could go back to the alley and follow it back the way they came. One problem was that they knew that the stream they had passed early on during their first day on the island, was the closest source of water. Another problem was that they had several more miles of narrow alley to pass through. Hunting them there was like shooting fish in a barrel, as the incident from earlier had made apparent.

So they decided with few words on the second option: to go in the opposite direction and head for the West coast of Isla Nublar instead, where the helicopter had gone. At least then there was hope that they would come across water and other resources in the meantime.

They crossed through the enclosure, finding it to be rather narrow. They reached the fence in half an hour. They paused to listen. The telltale buzzing was absent and the lights atop the posts were off as well. But there was still the chance that the other fence was still electrified and after its collapse, that electricity could pass through.

Duo approached with caution. He stretched out his hand and inched it closer, panting all the while. He stilled, certain he didn't dare to try, until the ferns rustling behind him had him throw his hand forwards. His knuckles brushed the steel. He reeled back reactively, but he hadn't been shocked. The rustling was just the wind, this time.

They climbed over. Duo assisted Heero again, even though the man insisted he was fine. His slim wrist was discolored by a mean-looking bruise and his fingers were stiff.

Outside of the enclosure, the jungle was less dense and more of the orange rays of the setting sun filtered through. The ground was soggy, almost swampy underneath their feet. The songbirds of the jungle were singing their final song of the day. The parrots squawked amidst the melodies like facetious hecklers.

The walk was tiring. The terrain angled up and was steep at places. They had to cross a section of forest damaged by a mud slide. Their boots were sucked into the ground and they had to pull themselves free by nearby roots more than once. It was a relief when the area was levelling out again and the dirt was harder underneath their weight.

The night was dark beneath the trees, but they could see a clearing up ahead bathed in the blue glow of the moonlight. They were drawn towards it, driven by the desire to be able to see their surroundings beyond the beam of their flashlights. The darkness and the unknown that it sheltered was terrifying.

Right before they broke through the tree line surrounding the open field, a bellowing call from above stopped them.

Terror took hold of Duo, but the sounds reminded him more of the gentle calls of the Parasaurolophus than the menacing roars of the carnivores they had had the misfortune of encountering. There was a disarming, almost amusing tone to it. Like someone blowing on a trumpet incorrectly. But the animal responsible was definitely large, the sound had a weight to it. Yet it came from far above their heads, far above the trees even, suggesting the animal was up in the sky.

Heero had trotted on into the clearing before Duo had noticed and before he could have stopped him. Cursing under his breath about how curiosity would kill the cat, he tiptoed after his partner.

The moonlight was bright – brighter than Duo had ever seen it – and it illuminated impossibly tall shapes that jutted up before them. Awestruck, his gaze traveled up from legs that could be mistaken for tree trunks, to a massive body swinging a long tail behind it, to an endless neck that stretched up to the midnight sky like the creature would feed on the stars itself. When the four animals called in unison, Duo felt it reverberate in his chest.

He staggered backwards, nearly tripping over his own feet. His head was tilted all the way back and his mouth was agape.

The relatively small skull of the animal was raised over forty feet above the ground. One was noticeably bigger than the other three and its calls had even more resonance to it.

After narrowly escaping being eaten, twice, Duo had dropped his wonder for the dinosaurs since first discovering their de-extinction. But seeing the regal Brachiosaurus in front of him had him in awe. Even though the Brachiosaurus was a herbivore, it had been one of his favorites growing up. When he was six years old, his dad got him a toy Brachiosaurus that was as tall of him and seeing the real-life creature standing in front of him, sparked memories that made his eyes tear up. Many times over the past decade did Duo wish he could still tell his dad about the things he saw in pursuit of the truth and now he felt that more than ever. When his dad used to play with him, the man would become a boy again. The impressive creatures simply had that effect on people. It was magical.

The ground shook with the footfalls of the dinosaurs as they slowly meandered around the clearing, singing to the moon and to each other.

"Woa…" he breathed and he continued to stare. Pleasant tingles ran up and down his spine when fingers interlaced with his.

They observed the dinosaurs throughout their romantic appearing display until the four decided to graze on the tree tops surrounding the clearance.

Duo didn't think he would ever get enough of the sight and sound of them, but he knew they couldn't linger. So, they continued on, due West. But not before they each snapped a picture with their camera. There was little confidence the film would develop well, considering it was nighttime, but they had to try.

With their flashlights scouring the jungle floor, they found tire tracks going down a path barely distinguishable as a road. This road did not have a track like the other one they had encountered and seemed to serve as maintenance access. Since it headed West anyway, they decided to stick to it, hoping it would lead somewhere promising.

It was just before midnight when they spotted a small concrete building, a little off to the side from the perimeter of another enclosure.

The building was nothing more than a cube, measuring about eight feet across. It had a steel door facing the road, and a window right by it, reinforced with two vertical, iron bars. Judging by the tracks, Jeeps visited the shed regularly.

Literally keeping his fingers crossed, Duo stalked towards it, ever mindful of his surroundings. Standing before the door, he aimed the beam of his flashlight up to the fence a couple of yards away. Since this wasn't the scenic route, but rather the 'back stage area' there were no signs advertising what was inside the paddock. The building, however, looked sturdy and it was the best shelter they would find.

He tried the door handle and was relieved that it turned out to be unlocked. That seemed to be a policy around the park. He pushed the door open and stepped into the small space. Heero was right on his heels. The square area was bare, with a concrete floor to match the concrete walls. Steel beams supported a metal sheet roof. It was hot inside. All the warmth of the day had been absorbed by the metal roof and trapped inside. On the wall opposite from the door and window were shelves with promising boxes on them –names he recognized.

COCA COLA

MOUNTAIN DEW

PAYDAY

REECE'S

There was a small fridge too, but that would have suffered from the power outage.

They stepped forward and pulled the boxes off the shelves. As suspected: a stash of soda cans and candy bars. They each popped open a fizzy drink. Even though it was lukewarm, the liquid and the sugar was invigorating to them. There was a green locker as well, marked "590A1".

Duo set aside his cola and flashlight and rattled the locker. He recognized the number on the door and it sparked hope. However, the steel door was firmly shut by a heavy-duty padlock. He looked around himself, searching for something heavy to try and knock the lock off with, only to notice that the other journalist was gone.

"Heero? Heero?" He called, increasingly alarmed.

Heero strode back into the building cradling a big rock in his right arm. Before Duo could offer to do it, considering Heero's likely broken wrist, the Japanese man grabbed the boulder with both hands and slammed it down the front of the locker. In one fell swoop, the protruding steel eyes that the padlock attached to, were snapped off. The lock fell to the floor with a clank and then the rock was dropped with a thud. Heero grasped his left wrist in his right arm, letting Duo open the locker door.

The tension was palpable.

He yanked the door open and an excited chuckle escaped him.

Just as he had thought: a Mossberg 590A1 shotgun. Before he could grab it, Heero reached in and took it off its support.

"Hey, why do you get to hold the big gun?" He whined like a petulant kid.

"Do you remember when we went to that shooting range?"

"Yeah?"

"So do I," Heero deadpanned. He never looked up as he examined the shotgun. It was loaded with a five-round magazine.

"In my defense, I let you win on purpose. I was trying to get into your pants after all," Duo said glibly. "Besides, that was five years ago and more importantly: our targets aren't the size of a watermelon this time around."

"I'm in charge of the shotgun."

"What about your wrist?"

"It'll be fine." He leaned the barrel against his shoulder and regarded the taller man defiantly.

"Fine." Duo rushed to close the door instead, uncomfortable with the fact that Heero had left it open.

They settled down on the floor, with their backs against the wall. Heero propped the shotgun up beside him. They drank another soda and ate a candy bar, which tasted like heaven after two days of subsisting on granola bars alone.

In spite of the overdose of sugar, they had little trouble falling asleep, resting against one another.

It was a cry of a flock of parrots and the desperate flapping of feathered wings that startled Duo awake. Heero was jostled awake by Duo's sudden movement, since the man had been leaning the weight of his head on his shoulder.

It was morning and sunlight was pouring in through the window at a low angle, which faced East. The two iron bars cast sharp shadows across their bodies huddled together against the opposite wall. The pane of glass was too dirty to see through. All Duo could see was the orange of the morning sky and green shapes flanking the road that led up to the shed.

Then there was the sound of wood snapping on the other side of the wall and a foot planted on the ground with an alarming thud.

The two men tensed up and pressed themselves tighter against each other and the metal shelving behind them.

The shelves vibrated with the next step.

Whatever was out there, was circling the shed. Bigger than the Herrerasaurus, nearly as big as the T-Rex.

Duo deemed them to be safe. The window was too small for anything of that size to come through, especially with the bars in place. The doorframe was too small too. The door itself swung outward and was properly reinforced. He trusted that the concrete and the streel structure supporting the roof, were strong enough to deter anything short of the tyrant lizard king himself.

He kept his gaze trained on the window and his heart stopped when a shadow moved in front of it, blocking out all light. The dinosaur audibly sniffed the air and took a few more steps, moving away from the window again. They heard the sharp inhales up above the roof and then down by the ground. It turned and plowed its nose through the loose dirt – they could hear the scraping and the labored breathing as it greedily sucked in dust along with their scent.

Heero grabbed the gun and clutched it to his torso tightly.

Dust was blown into the shed through the inch of space underneath the steel door.

Duo scrunched up his face and held his breath for a moment so he wouldn't inhale the sand and end up coughing. His entire body was tense with fear. His heart beat so frantically that the blood rushing in his ears was deafening. The surge of adrenaline did little more than disorient him.

The animal reared its head up again and the silhouette of an elongated snout passed in front of the window.

It took a couple of steps again and the sunlight disappeared. Duo couldn't tell if it was looking at the window, or facing away from it.

Duo had still been holding his breath. His face was red and hot. His hands were sweaty and cold.

With a crash glass shards were sent flying their way and the two bars popped out of the window frame like toothpicks. The dinosaur thrust his long, narrow jaws through the window into the shed.

The two journalists screamed and pulled their legs backs. The creatures snout was long and the space between the window and the far wall was short. They pushed themselves up, plastering themselves against the wall of shelving as flatly as possible to remain out of the dinosaur's reach.

The jaws snapped at them while the dinosaur kept pressing its head further through the window. The skull was only a little too wide, but the edges of the window frame were crumbling under the pressure and the dinosaur inched its hungry mouth closer and closer.

When Heero aimed the shotgun at it, it was knocked out of his grip and fell to the floor where they couldn't safely reach for it.

The thin jaws opened with a roar, exposing long rows of teeth and a salivating tongue. The sickening sound of claws dragging along the outer wall accompanied the high-pitched scream that the dinosaur produced. It wiggled its head further in, cutting the sides of its head on the concrete, but it wasn't giving up. It opened its mouth wide and snapped it shut forcefully. Nearly the entire skull had been worked into the shed through the small opening. It was slender, but nearly six feet long, leaving only about a foot of space between the two trapped journalists and the creature that intended to feed on them.

The blue skin, mottled with spots of yellow, contrasted with the pink of its mouth and throat, exposed every time it roared or snapped at them. When it tilted its head to look at them, it revealed crocodilian eyes.

Heero lowered himself down to the floor in a kneeling position, keeping his back against the wall. He stretched one foot out towards the gun.

The crunching sound of concrete was even more horrifying than the snaps of those large teeth lining up whenever the jaws bit shut on nothing.

Duo watched Heero slide the gun back towards himself with his foot. Heero wrapped one arm around Duo's thigh to steady himself as he balanced on one leg. He managed to get the shotgun within reach of his hand and he quickly grabbed it and straightened up. With the gun angled straight down so it wouldn't be knocked out of his hands again. He pumped the forend with an audible click, loading a round into the chamber. There was determination in his blue eyes that made him look fearless.

The next time the dinosaur opened its jaws, Heero aimed the weapon and fired off a round. Before the mouth closed in pain, he pumped again and fired another round. The bullets ripped through the tongue and palate. When the dinosaur opened its mouth again to shriek, it spewed thick, warm blood onto the two men. It thrashed powerfully and threatened to get even closer to them, but Heero reloaded again and again, firing into the vulnerable, soft flesh of the mouth. A bullet pierced the back of the throat and blood came pouring out. Now the creature was fighting to retreat, but it had wedged itself into the window frame so tightly that it was stuck. Deep cracks appeared in the concrete wall as it fought desperately to free itself. All the while, blood poured out of its mouth. Its lower jaw was lax. Before long, the entire floor was flooded with crimson.

Duo closed his eyes to protect them as droplets were sprayed towards them with every breath. His fingers were clenched around the edge of a shelf. He held onto it because his knees were weak and he didn't trust them not to buckle under his own weight.

The dinosaur let out one last, gurgling breath and then went completely quiet.

Duo dared to crack his eyes open again and saw the chin had rested into a pool of its own blood and the eyes that held hunger and primordial rage before and pierced right through him, were now empty and unseeing. He looked at Heero.

The man's once blue shirt was now brown, soaked in blood. There was a spatter of red on his pale face reminiscent of the outwardly chaotic work of Jackson Pollock. A streak here, a drip there, droplets everywhere. His hair was wet and darker too. Heero looked back at him, his expression equally disturbed. Duo knew he himself looked no less horrifying.

They tiptoed around the lifeless head. Their steps caused ripples in the red that Duo would remember the sight of forever. If he hadn't felt so nauseous, he might have chuckled at Heero – clearly being a more dedicated journalist than he was – pausing to take a picture.

Once they stepped outside, the full size of the dinosaur was revealed to them. It was about thirty feet long, with a more slender build than the T-Rex, to match its long, narrow snout.

It was a Suchomimus, Duo knew. It was hypothesized to be a fish-eater, but that was probably up for debate now.

He took a deep breath and leaned forward, with his hands on his knees. He was fairly certain he would be sick but while he heaved a couple of times, he didn't manage to throw up. And so there was no relief from that queasy feeling that had settled in his gut.

"We have to go," said Heero. "If the noise didn't attract anything, the carcass soon will."

He nodded, in full agreement, but still needed a minute.

"I used all of the rounds."

That news only added to the trouble Duo was having keeping it together after just escaping being eaten for the third time in two days.


	8. Chapter 8

**Final chapter!**

* * *

The road led them further West and they paused when they came across a road sign.

SAFARI LODGE, 4 miles

They exchanged a look and shrugged at each other and then headed on, towards the Safari Lodge, apparently. At that point they were no longer concerned with being caught for trespassing. They actually hoped they would run into someone. A lodge sounded like a good place to go.

Along the way, they figured they were far enough removed from the mountain range that they would no longer interfere with their radio signal and Heero tried to reach Hector again.

After five minutes of talking to static, he was about to shut the walkie talkie off again to conserve batteries, when an incoherent question sputtered from the speaker.

"Hello? Hector, are you receiving? Over." The two men stopped in the middle of the road and waited anxiously.

"-… Amigos-… -hear from you-… -time? Over."

Duo's lips split into a stupid grin that Heero mirrored. "Hector. We need a pick up, as soon as possible. Over." Heero was nearly shouting into the receiver with excitement.

"Si-…-pick you up on East coast. Over."

"Negative. Negative," Heero stressed. "We need you to come to the West coast. Over."

"…" The returning static made their hearts drops.

"Hector? Hector, come in. Over."

"…-repeat. Over."

"Hector, come to the West coast. Over."

"West? Si. Where West? Over."

Heero shot a look at Duo but there was no way for either of them to know. Having run around for their lives in the jungle had left them disoriented. But Heero thought quickly. "Hector, get a head start to the West coast now. We will radio in our exactly location later. Copy that? Over." Duo nodded along. Once they would find a more civilized part of the island, it was likely they would find a way to pinpoint their location and work their way from there to figure out an exact pick-up point.

"Si.-…-go now. West. …- line open. Waiting your instructions. Over and out."

"Over and out."

A little while later, there was another sign.

SAFARI LODGE, 1 mile

Duo didn't know what would be awaiting them there, but somehow – if naively uninformed – it felt like safety and he was in a hurry to get to it. Heero was equally eager. They both picked up the pace and drank a soda from the small supply they had stuffed into their backpacks last night.

The sun wasn't shining so brightly as morning turned to afternoon. Clouds rolled in. Occasionally, a few drops of rain fell, but it never built up to anything.

The road gently curved to meet with another, which did have one of those steel tracks down the center again, coming around a pond filled with water lilies. Behind the pond, built on a strong foundation of concrete, was a large building with a three-pointed thatched roof. Considering the grandiosity of it, the journalists figured it was the main entry for guests into the park. The large door atop the steps had fossils embedded in the surrounding concrete frame. Duo wondered if it had ever looked inviting to anyone, if it was just his experience from the past days that made it look so eerie to him.

They went into the building through a large opening to the right, where clear tarp was draped over an enormous window frame in which the glass pane had yet to be set. It was clearly used as an entry point for construction. The tarp billowed out and in as the wind picked up again. A storm was definitely coming. Duo only hoped the weather wouldn't get bad enough that Hector would be delayed. It would already take him over five hours from the mainland to the island. Duo and Heero had about four hours left to get a sense of their location and navigate to a point on the shore that they could communicate with Hector.

The foyer was scattered with fossilized bones and, draped over them, were the remains of two smaller dinosaurs – that was to say: slightly smaller than the Herrerasaurus that had crossed their path. Duo felt uncomfortable just looking into their dead eyes. Their teeth were long but narrow, angled back into the mouth for a perfect grip on their prey. The pink gums showed in a frozen snarl.

_Teeth. Too many teeth._

Duo shuddered remembering the old woman speaking to him despair. The sight of this particular dinosaur had him thinking of her all of a sudden and thinking of the pain she must have felt as those rows of densely packed teeth tore into her arms. He remembered what Heero had hypothesized about the unknown, escaped dinosaurs. That it might have been smart enough to stow itself away on a ship. The first attack did occur in the town of Playa San Teresa, after all, where the scientists spent their weekend. It traveled up to Puerto Carillo from there, hunting humans to sustain itself. It had been a throw-away idea on Heero's part, but it stuck with Duo.

Now it had him thinking about dinosaurs that the field of paleontology supposed might have had some intelligence. When he was younger, the books he read were never about how smart the dinosaurs might have been. Only about how big they were and what their skins might have looked like. But he remembered a controversial paper from an InGen funded dig that argued, based on the size of the neural cavity, the Velociraptor had a larger brain-to-body ratio than other fauna from the period. Moreover, the clustering of fossils suggested that many Velociraptors died together in the extinction event. Creatures that died together, likely lived together.

Likely hunted together.

This dark creature could definitely be a raptor. It matched the general shape and size.

Heero took pictures of the dead animals, the strewn bones and the interior of the building, still invested in the story, while Duo was mostly concerned with survival.

What if there were more than two?

He jumped when the tarp bulged inward suddenly, but it was just the wind.

"Come on. Let's see if we can find a map of this place, or something." They had to figure out their position, before continuing on to the coast. If they had no idea how far North or South up the West coast they would end, neither did Hector. He would be searching hundreds of miles of coast, most of which probably densely wooded.

They went upstairs first. Duo's faulty logic assumed they would be a little safer there.

They were drawn to a steel door by a muted, high-pitched wailing sound – one layered on top of another. It sounded like small animals crying out. Duo was apprehensive. When they opened the door, it was completely black inside. He wanted to leave, but Heero's curiosity was too strong. He aimed his flashlight and headed inside, forcing Duo to follow him.

It was a laboratory. All the equipment had been switched off by the power outage. There were round tables covered by glass domes. When he shone his flashlight into the domes, he could see eggs sitting atop a bed of hay.

Heero went on, straight towards the noise. "What the…" He stopped at another table in the far right corner. He pressed his nose against the glass covering.

Duo came to stand beside him and peered inside as well.

Broken eggshells lay on the hay and several small creatures weakly moved about. Their skin pinkish and their skulls appearing too big for their tiny bodies. Two of them were dead, lying completely still. One of the living ones was nibbling on its dead sibling.

It was disturbing. Duo didn't know what they were, but if he had to guess, he'd say either Herrerasaurus, or Velociraptor. It proved their theory that the geneticists had engineered the dinosaurs, in service of creating this park.

Heero put his flashlight between his teeth and lifted the cover with a grunt.

The small dinosaurs squeaked and huddled together.

The flash of Heero's camera was blinding in the dark void.

"Please, let's just go. This place is freaking me out."

"Yeah." He closed the lid again and stuffed his camera into a pocket of his cargo pants.

They left, leaving the babies to their fate.

Walking down the corridor, with windows overlooking the compound, Duo spotted several smaller buildings. Most of them looked like guest lodges, under construction. He also spotted a low, concrete building which resembled a bunker. He paused at the windows and grabbed his binoculars. He studied the bunker, encircled by a chain link fence. The gate of the fence was open, swinging back and forth in the wind. The door to the bunker was shut. He confirmed the other buildings were small guest houses. He aimed his vision to the horizon. All he saw was a mountainous jungle. He had hoped to see the ocean. But he checked his compass and realized the windows were facing East.

With nothing to be found upstairs, they went back down.

They crossed through a toy shop, into a restaurant. A buffet of food was laid out. It all smelled stale. Duo offered Heero another Payday instead.

They both munched on their treat as they pushed through the door marked 'kitchen'.

They found themselves in a corridor instead, with a door at the far end and a door halfway. A sign midway down the corridor, pointed to the door to the left and again read:

KITCHEN.

"The water is probably still working," Heero supplied.

Duo could use some fresh water. Sugary sodas weren't the best way to stay hydrated and they were still dirty with blood.

The door to the kitchen was wide open and Duo stepped in first. The industrial kitchen looked clean, but messy – in the sense that obviously clean pots, pans and other kitchen ware lay strewn about on the tiled floor. The stainless steel counter tops of the rows of kitchen islands glistened in the dim light that came in through small windows.

The sink was halfway down the aisle right in front of them, to the left. He walked towards it and leaned his head under the faucet before turning it open. Cool water poured over his head and he enjoyed the sensation thoroughly. He scrubbed his face and neck with his hands to clean himself off and then angled his mouth up to gulp down some water.

"Stop hogging," Heero teased.

Duo made way for the other to enjoy the same refreshment and he watched the water pour onto Heero's head and turn red as it washed the blood out of his hair.

They both jumped back at a sudden, loud bang to their right.

Water dripped out of their hair and onto the tiles and it was the only sound they heard until there was another powerful bang.

The door to the industrial-sized freezer was dented outward and the steel warped further when the third bang was heard. The impact was strong enough to make a crack appear between the door and the frame and a dark brown muzzle appeared to breathe in the air. It caught their scent and flared its nostrils. Then it retreated and the creature collided its body with the door again. The steel moaned under the force and bent out even further. Someone had managed to lock it in there, but it was clear it would only be a matter of time before it would get out. Hearing them in the kitchen had probably reinvigorated the predator, which had been silent before.

It threw its body into the door again and it curved out far enough for them to catch a true glimpse of the dinosaur. It was the same species that had been dead on the floor in the lobby.

And it wasn't just any matter of time until it would be free; it was a matter of seconds.

"Go," Duo said, yet he was frozen in his spot for a fraction of second longer. "Go go go!" He chased Heero out of the kitchen as fast as his feet would carry him.

Heero was about to run back into the restaurant, but Duo grasped the back his shirt and pulled him in the other direction. The door at the end of the corridor was marked: EXIT. He knew they were on the side of the building that was closest to the bunker and that was where he wanted them to go.

They burst through the door, into the outside air. It had started to rain now. They squinted to be able to see. Duo held Heero's hand and didn't let go as they sprinted down the path, straight towards the bunker he had spotted earlier. They jumped over fallen trees to get to the chain link fence, which creaked as it swung back towards them. Duo threw it open and Heero followed him through.

His heart skipped a beat at the thought that the door of the bunker might be the one door that would be locked, but when he pushed down the handle, it opened, much to his relief. He hurried Heero inside and shut the door behind them. He fumbled around for a locking mechanism, but couldn't find anything. Heero produced his flashlight and searched the walls. There was a lever by the door that read 'LOCK' but when they pushed it nothing seemed to happen. It was electronic and useless after the power outage.

But the door was heavy duty steel, like the one in the shed. This time, there wasn't a window.

"Do you think it can open doors?" Duo asked Heero. Then he offered: "I don't think it can open doors." He wasn't sure if it was for Heero's reassurance, or for his own.

A narrow staircase led straight down into a dark abyss. Duo also palmed his flashlight and they headed down the steps. His heart was racing as they went into the depths of the dark void.

A hollow space, about three stories deep, was revealed before them. Walkways of metal grating circled the open space, with steep staircases leading down to the levels below.

"You agree we should give that thing back there some time to get the Hell away from this compound before we head out again?" Duo asked.

Heero nodded.

Of course they both knew they needed to get to shore, since their ride would be there in a few hours, but neither were keen on stepping beyond the door and possibly running into that raptor.

They walked along the walkway, noticing multiple hallways branching out from the central area. They followed a couple of them, only to find they all terminated at exposed piping or wiring. It was maintenance access.

They went all the way down to the lowest level, where the floor was concrete and felt more sturdy under their feet than the metal grates. Crates were packed into a corner and they popped them open. They found a stash of food and blankets. The bunker was intended as a refuge for guests, in case things went awry.

Duo draped a blanket over a shut crate to use it as the most comfortable seat he had in a couple of days. He invited Heero to sit next to him. They both took off their backpacks to get comfortable. Once they were shoulder to shoulder,Duo wrapped a second blanket around them both, since the concrete radiated cold and their hair was wet and their shirts damp. They turned off one flashlight but set the other atop another crate. Neither of them were ashamed to admit they were afraid of the dark at that moment.

Duo snaked one arm around Heero's waist and held him close. He felt Heero's hand on his thigh. The closeness was pleasant; it was comforting. He regretted having put Heero in this dangerous situation, but, selfishly, he was relieved to have him with him. There wasn't a single person in the world he knew to be stronger than the other journalist. He had always admired Heero. He had admired him before he loved him. In spite of what had happened between them, he never stopped admiring him and he never stopped loving them.

They never even had a big fight or falling out. Life just… happened. It wasn't the case that life took them in different directions. They were still heading the same way, but Heero had skyrocketed whereas Duo was still stuck in the atmosphere, trying to drop the weight that held him down.

They had figured out how to make a relationship work for four years, while they both spent most of their time abroad, far removed from each other. It rarely happened that they were both home in LA at the same time. They only saw each other a few days out of every two months. Yet it worked because every time they reconnected, it was so easy. It was always exciting, it never got stale. They never had any time to argue. All they did was share their stories and make love and spend endless nights contemplating the meaning of everything except their relationship. Their relationship never caused them any questions or doubts. It simply… was. And it was beautiful.

However, they couldn't figure out how to make it work when Duo got stuck in San Diego doing local work and Heero still went around the world and had to report to his editors in New York. Because the few times they met, it was never easy. It was strained and uncomfortable. Duo admitted he purposefully made Heero feel guilty about not coming to visit more often. As if he himself made any real effort to fly out to New York as often as he should have.

As far as he remembered, they never really broke up.

During their last conversation, Heero finally questioned their relationship. "Is it working, if it's this much work?". It was a simple question, but Duo couldn't answer it. He had left it hanging. Heero was on his way out the door, he had a flight back to New York to catch. He never returned. Duo never called. A myriad of emotions had always stopped him, until too much time had passed and he knew Heero had moved on and it would be too late for answers or apologies anyway.

"It looks like it hurts," Heero said. Even his small whisper echoed in the hollow space.

"Hm? What?"

"Your thinking, it looks like it hurts." Heero made an exaggerated, pensive frown, supposedly mirroring Duo's.

"Oh…" He chuckled sheepishly. He tightened his grip around Heero's waist and asked: "Is this a weird time to tell you I still love you?" He asked, mimicking his sentiment for the other night.

"Yes." Heero didn't grin at him this time.

Duo sighed. He loosened his hold on him, but was reluctant to let him go, so he didn't. "I know. You're with Michael."

It was silent for a long time and Duo presumed the conversation was over, until Heero spoke up again: "Do you know why I am so certain Michael wasn't involved in the corruption?"

He just regarded him with an eyebrow raised in question.

"Because Michael is too boring for the idea to play dirty to even cross his mind. He's not a risk-taker, like most investment bankers are. He has a formula that he sticks to and he's successful because it's a good formula for predicting the stocks. He always plays it by the book and he never… he never follows his gut."

"Well, following your gut can lead to trouble." He pointedly looked around himself.

"This is an amazing story, Duo. I don't regret chasing it with you. Although I am a little disappointed that you didn't make it up as an excuse to try to get back together with me. It's the reason I agreed."

Duo smiled sadly at the admission. He had teased him about it earlier, he had never dared to think it would be the truth. "We might not live to tell this story."

Heero nodded morosely, but then said with a bitter smirk: "At least it's not boring."

"That it isn't."

"We should do this more often. We'd make a good writing team. Once we publish this story, you can bet your ass the Times will want you on payroll as well."

Duo smiled at him. "I'd like that."

Heero smiled back at him and then leaned his head against Duo's shoulder and pressed his nose against his neck. His warm breath swept over Duo's skin.

After a while, he straightened back up and they looked into each other's eyes. They were both about to say something.

At the sound of a dull thud coming from the top of the stairs above them, they both shut their mouths. Duo reached oved and instinctively shut off the flashlight. Total darkness engulfed them and they listened to the clumsy sounds coming from the other side of the steel outer door. Every little sound was magnified in the hollow bunker. Duo swallowed and it tasted bitter, like bile.

There was a soft squeak and then a sliver of light appeared, casting a broken beam of light down towards them. Then the door was fully swung open and in the dim light Duo could see the terror on Heero's face, as Heero could see it on his.

It can open doors.

They soundlessly shook the blanket off their shoulders and climbed off the crate.

At the top, the raptor started down the stairs. They couldn't see it, but they could hear it. Every dull footfall was accompanied by a sharp sound of the metal grates complaining under the weight of the hunter. When it stepped onto the top level of the walkway, the entire structure shuddered.

Hugging the walls, Duo and Heero slowly moved around the space until they were right underneath the dinosaur. However, even though it wouldn't see them, it would surely smell them. They both reeked of sweat and blood. It was how the raptor had tracked them to the bunker in the first place.

It sniffed the air, with rasping breaths. On the opposite wall its shadow was cast. They could see it rearing up and sweeping its tail. It let out a stuttering call before slowly walking around.

Duo hoped the shadows on the bottom level were dark enough to keep them hidden, as they watched the raptor walk into view, three floors above them. It had its head angled down, peering into the dark pit, but its yellow eyes didn't focus on anything. It held its tail high and proud and occasionally flexed its fingers, moving its sharp, black claws.

With excruciatingly slow steps the two move up the first staircase to the second level. Their footfalls were muted and Duo couldn't hear himself over the dinosaurs breathing, but that didn't mean the creature didn't hear them.

It walked all the way around, until it was directly above them again. The stairs moving down the levels were too steep – practically ladders - and the opening too small for it to go down. Looking up, Duo could see the long claws of its feet poking through the grating.

With a shriek, the raptor leapt across the open space, onto the metal walkway of the second floor – the same level they were on. It was right across from them, only twelve feet removed and it had just demonstrated how easily it could cross that distance. Even though they were hidden in the shadows, it looked right at them and snarled.

Duo's blood ran cold and he reached out to Heero with searching fingers.

The raptor screamed and every echo cut right through them.

Their only choice was to run. Duo rushed Heero up the steep steps, physically pushing him to get him to move in his state of shock and following closely behind.

The raptor jumped across the void to end up right by them and it managed to catch Duo's right foot between its jaws before Duo could climb up out of its reach. He screamed as the sharp teeth pierced the thick material of his boots and his skin. But the sturdy sole kept it from biting down and doing more damage. Duo latched onto the steps as the raptor meant to pull him down.

Duo screamed out in pain first, but then he shouted at Heero, telling him to run. Two panicked gazes met.

Heero, however, didn't listen. He did the opposite. He climbed down the stairs, squeezing past Duo's body. "Don't let go," he told his partner.

The raptor pulled hard and shook his leg like a dog with a bone. Duo was afraid his femur would pop out of his pelvis with the force of it. He watched in horror as Heero got closer to the predator and then he noticed the hunting knife he brandished.

The animal kept its jaws clamped down on Duo's foot in favor of biting at Heero, not acknowledging him as a threat.

Heero stabbed the dinosaur in one of its yellow eyes and with a piercing shriek it lets go of his prize.

The two men scrambled up the steps to the top level. Heero pulled Duo along. The final staircase to the door at the top loomed before them. It seemed too far, but they had to try. They ran up the staircase as fast as they could. They could feel the wind in their hair and the sunshine on their face.

Behind them, the metal rattled again as the raptor jumped up to the top on the far side and then across to the bottom of the stairs.

They didn't look back as they raced for the door. Once their boots were in the dirt, Duo skidded and fell, but Heero slammed the door shut behind them right before the raptor crashed into it.

They heard the animal crying out and watched in shock as they see the door handle move. It went down but bounced back up just short of having the latch bolt retract far enough to release the door.

Not wanting to stick around to see the smart animal perform its party trick of opening doors again, Heero hooked his arms under Duo's sweaty armpits and hoisted him up. Thanks to the adrenaline, Duo was able to ignore the searing pain in his foot as they ran back down the path towards the Safari lodge. It took the animal a minute or two of fumbling around to get the door open the first time, but they didn't know how steep the learning curve was. Besides, Duo was leaving a trail of blood on the ground that was easy enough for it to follow, disadvantaging them in spite of their head start.

They ran around the back of the Safari lodge, knowing the building offered them no security. They couldn't lock any of the doors with the power being out. Everything was electronic in the Goddamn place.

Heero was a few yards ahead of Duo, but he kept looking back over his shoulder. He wasn't about to leave him behind, as he had proven with his bravery.

Duo stopped during their mad dash and called out Heero's name.

The other man came to a halt and looked at him in panic, not understanding why he was stopping.

Duo simply pointed to a row a bright yellow Ford Explorers parked under a thatched roof to the side of the main lodge. It was their best shot. It was their only shot. They jogged towards them and tried the first car in the row. The doors were unlocked.

Thank God for this island policy, Duo thought to himself.

In spite of the injury to his foot, Duo was the one to get behind the wheel. He was the one who knew how to hotwire a car, after all. And he also wasn't the one with a broken wrist. This time, he pulled away the acrylic pane first, clearing the steering wheel. Then he used his knife to pop open the cover at the underside of the steering column and went to work again.

"Fingers crossed this one has its damn batteries charged," he joked to make light of the situation. He was in dire need of the forced levity. He struggled separating and stripping the wires. His fingers were trembling so badly. He was working on the wire for the starter motor when Heero whispered his name. Duo looked up at him but caught a dark shape in the corner of his eyes.

Standing a couple of yards in front of the car was the one-eyed raptor.

Duo's mouth went dry when the animals roared at them. This didn't seem about feeding anymore, it was enraged after suffering a severe injury. He forced himself to lean back down and focus on his task. The car rocked sharply when, in a single bound, the raptor crossed the distance and jumped up onto the hood.

Heero pressed himself back into the leather seat and he reached out for Duo's shoulder, clasping at him. "Duo… Duo…"

He glanced up long enough to see the creature crouched on the hood and staring at them. It was studying them and working out the problem of how to get to them. It touched its nose to the windshield softly at first, testing the resistance. Then it coiled its neck and bumped the windshield harder.

Duo frantically touched the wires together and gently worked the pedals. "Come on… Start, you stubborn bitch…"

Heero yelped when the raptor slammed the side of its head into the windshield hard enough for a spider web of cracks to appear. "Duo!"

He gritted his teeth and maintained focused.

The car came to life with a hum of the electric engine.

"There she is!" Duo exclaimed and he shifted the car into reverse and pushed all of his weight onto the gas pedal.

The electric engine wasn't as meek as it sounded. With a steady hum the car shot backwards and the raptor, confused by it all, rolled off the hood of the car and landed in the dirt.

Duo twisted the wheel with one hand while shifting gears with the other and breaking momentarily without ever taking his foot completely off the gas pedal. The car spun around sharply and Duo floored the gas pedal again. The tires struggled for grip in the mud, giving the raptor the chance to catch up to them and it jumped up onto the glass roof of the vehicle, only to slide off again when the tires gripped and the Ford accelerated.

The car sped up and Duo steered it towards a dirt road leading away from the lodge. The raptor chases after them and ran alongside the car on the passenger side. Heero leaned towards Duo as the creature slammed its weight into the door, bending it inward and threatening to veer the car off course. It threw its head against the window, shattering it. The glass landed in Heero's lap.

With a strong grip on the wheel, Duo maintained control. He expertly shifted into higher gears until they were doing over sixty miles per hour in fifth and the car was finally pulling ahead of the hunter.

He glanced in the rearview mirror to see that it was not giving up on the chase and before them lay a curve in the road that forced them to slow down.

They both let out a scream when the raptor leapt onto the roof again and punctured the glass with its sharp claws. Cracks spread throughout the pane and with the way the animal was scrambling for footing, the glass wouldn't be able to hold its weight for long.

There was another curve in the road up ahead, a very sharp one that time – nearly ninety degrees. But instead of slowing down, Duo accelerated. He stared at the trees lining the outer curve of the road with determination. "Seatbelt!" He growled at the other.

Heero was swift to put on his seatbelt as instructed, realizing what the plan was. Then he helped click Duo's seatbelt into place when the driver was struggling, having to do it with one hand.

Duo heard the click just in time. Trusting he was secured, he took his right foot off the gas pedal and slammed both feet onto the break, making the vehicle come to an abrupt halt. Their bodies launched forward only two inches. The seatbelts caught them and held them in place with bruising force. It knocked the wind out of both of them.

The carnivore was thrown off the roof. It landed in front of the vehicle and kept rolling until it crashed into a tree dead ahead. The two men heard the crack of the raptor's back breaking. It wailed pathetically as it was left paralyzed. All it could do was thrash its head and claw at the dirt with its front limbs. Its tail and powerful hindquarters lay motionless.

Both men panted and waited for the adrenaline to subside.

"Are…-" Duo swallowed. "Are you alright?" There was no response. He looked to the side and saw Heero incessantly nodding his head in shock. "Yeah… me too…" Duo said, his gaze finding the raptor again.

He shifted the car into park, recognizing they both needed a minute longer to have their senses catch up to them again. He had to pry his other hands off the steering wheel. It was stiff. He scrubbed his face with his palms. Flecking off some dried-up blood that had still been there after their wash-up in the kitchen had been interrupted.

Heero released his seatbelt and pushed his hips out of the seat awkwardly to fish something out of the pocket of his cargo pants.

Duo watched him pull out his little camera and smirked. The man was definitely starting to feel like himself again.

Heero leaned out the broken window to take a photograph. When he settled back into his seat, he shot Duo a look and said: "This is truly going to be a Hell of a story."

Duo could only agree. He let out a breathy chuckle.

They noticed the computer in the dashboard had a tab with the word "NAVIGATION". When Heero touched his finger to the screen, a map of the entire island appeared and then automatically zoomed in to their location, which was marked by a red arrow. A blue arrow indicated the "WEST DOCKS" only a couple dozen miles away from them. They decide to drive there.

Like a true journalist, Heero had kept his camera in his pocket for safe-keeping, instead of the walkie talkie, which was still in the backpack down in the bunker, where they did not want to go back to. But they hoped that if Hector had been traveling along the coast, the docks would have at least caught his attention. They realized the fisherman could very well be a no-show, since they hadn't contacted him again like they said they would.

At the very least, there was the hope that there would be an abandoned boat there that they could commandeer for their escape.

The car jolted to a stop at the docks and they climbed out.

Duo's foot was throbbing now, causing a limp. Heero helped him, letting him throw an arm over his shoulders. They reach the end of the docks and smiled when they spotted a small fishing boat, out at sea.

Duo waved his arm, hoping Hector would see him. He sighed in relief when the man waved back.

The two minutes it took the fishing boat to reach the docks, were the longest two minutes of the past three days. The two were itching to get off the island. So much so that it crossed Duo's mind to jump into the water and swim towards to the boat, rather than stand there and wait.

As soon as the steel boat bumped against the dock, the two men jumped on board.

"Let's go. Go go go," Duo urged.

took in their appearance with appropriate concern. He opened his mouth to say something but then a drawn-out roar cut through the air, drowning out the crashing waves and the sputtering engine as the boat pulled away from the dock. The fisherman frowned at them and wondered something in Spanish that even Duo understood: "What in God's name is that?".

The journalists shared a look and laced their fingers together.

Duo said: "You'll read all about it."

**THE END**

* * *

**Let me know what you thought of this movie adaptation! You can also leave a suggestion for a movie you'd like to see adapted. I've gotten many suggestions already, unfortunately, I haven't seen most of the material (and here I was thinking I was a big movie nerd). A lot of people also suggested series and while that wasn't my initial plan, I've decided to add series to the GWCU as well; I want to write something about my favorite Netflix series Mindhunter. **

_**Also VOTE: **_

_**Let me know which story needs a sequel in your opinion :) I am coming up on 2 million words archived and want to mark the occasion by letting you vote for the story you want to see a continuation of. Just leave the title of any of my completed works in your review. The story that gets named the most will get a one shot sequel.**_

_**I think I'll let voting continue until I hit that 2 million mark, hopefully by then enough people will have voted for it to be a somewhat representative result. **_


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